About
How Four Quadrant Keys works
Four Quadrant Keys connects people across DC's four quadrants with a locksmith; it is not one itself, and nobody here works on a lock. However you reach us, the request goes to a single independent locksmith business working inside the District. From there the business owns the callback, and if you say yes, the job.
Who pays us
Our fee comes from the locksmith business, for passing your request along. Nothing is charged to you by us. The business sets its own rates, and your invoice is between you and it alone.
The terms a business accepts to get DC requests from us
- Its legal name, spoken on the callback and printed on the bill.
- A current DC Basic Business License you can find on SCOUT, and the Maryland or Virginia locksmith license if it also works there.
- A single figure quoted before any tool comes out, with the drive already counted.
- Proof you live there or own the car before a door opens or a key gets cut.
- Non-destructive entry tried first, and an explanation offered before a drill touches the cylinder.
If a visit falls short of that list, text us at (771) 246-1201.
Why DC makes this harder
The District does not license locksmiths. Maryland licenses locksmith businesses and registers the people who work for them, and Virginia regulates locksmiths through its criminal justice services department. Inside DC, anyone with a general business license can advertise lock work. What you can still check.
Sources and data
Each guide closes with a list of what it relied on. The ward figures on our data page are our own work from Census tables and MPD incident counts, and the method page spells out each step. Read the method.
Who writes this
John Voll writes the guides. He has never worked as a locksmith; his job here is reading the price surveys and the District's own records, then naming the origin of each figure.
Photo credits
Photos are from Unsplash under the Unsplash License: Yeon Choi, Andrea García, Katelyn Warner, Sydnie Sellers, Lukas Souza, Josh Lemmon, Derek Nelson, Bence Balla-Schottner, Jakub Zerdzicki, Haberdoedas. None of them show any locksmith's work.