Ward 4, Washington, DC
Locksmith in Petworth and Brightwood
Locked out, down to one key, or just moved in? Send a request from anywhere in Ward 4, from Petworth up to Takoma. A locksmith business that works the District calls back with its name and the full price before any work.
- Homes
- 37,451
- Rent
- 37%
- 10+ unit buildings
- 33%
- Moved in 2020+
- 23%
One DC locksmith business gives its name and the total before any work. Look up a DC license · Who pays us
About Petworth and Brightwood
Ward 4 covers the northern tip of the District, from Petworth and 16th Street Heights up to Takoma and Shepherd Park on the Maryland line. It has the highest homeownership of any ward: only 37% of households rent. 31% of homes are rowhouses, many of them brick porch-front houses from the first half of the last century (Census ACS). Fewer households moved in recently here, 23% since 2020, so the calls lean toward worn hardware and rekeys after an estate sale or a renovation. MPD logged 455 vehicle thefts in Ward 4 in 2025.
Homes in Ward 4
The Census counts about 37,451 homes in Ward 4 (ACS 2020-2024). 37% of households rent, 33% of homes are in buildings of 10 or more units and 31% are rowhouses. 23% of households moved in during 2020 or later. With that many rowhouses, the calls lean toward old front-door locks, basement unit doors and rekeys after a sale.
The median home was built in 1943, old enough that original mortise locks are common. 26% of homes are detached houses, the highest shares in the District, with more doors per home to key alike. Rekeying · Car keys and fobs
Ward 4 by the numbers
| Households | 34,955 |
|---|---|
| Rent | 37% |
| Rowhouses | 31% |
| No car | 20% |
| Median year built | 1943 |
| Vehicle thefts, 2025 | 455 |
| Thefts from cars, 2025 | 744 |
| Burglaries, 2025 | 62 |
Census ACS 2020-2024; MPD incidents via DC Open Data. Compare all eight wards.
Locksmith services in Petworth and Brightwood
How it works
- Describe the lock and where it is. Any way you reach us works. Start with the ZIP and the floor; then say what kind of lock it is, or which car.
- One District locksmith business rings back. It names itself and quotes one figure that already counts the drive across town.
- The decision stays with you. Should the figure on your stoop beat the figure on the call, turn the work down.
Questions
Do you cover all of Petworth and Brightwood?
Yes, and the rest of Ward 4 (main ZIPs 20011, 20012). Before booking, the business on the callback checks that your block sits inside the part of the District it drives to.
Is the price set before anyone works on a lock in Petworth and Brightwood?
Every business we hand a Ward 4 request to agrees to quote one figure on the call with the drive built in, then hold it on arrival. A bigger number at your door means you may decline.
Are locksmiths licensed in DC?
No. The District has no locksmith license and no locksmith board. A locksmith business in DC needs the same Basic Business License from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection that most DC businesses need (the General Business category), and you can look that up on DC's SCOUT license search. Across the line it is different: Maryland licenses locksmith businesses and registers each locksmith who works for one, and Virginia regulates locksmiths through its Department of Criminal Justice Services. So a locksmith who also works in the Maryland or Virginia suburbs should be able to show that state's license.
Other wards: Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan, Georgetown and Dupont Circle, Upper Northwest, Brookland and Bloomingdale, Capitol Hill and Navy Yard, Deanwood and Hillcrest, Anacostia and Congress Heights, or all of DC.