About Us
Emergency Locksmith NY, owned and operated by 5 Star Locksmith Inc., was built on a simple principle: when you are locked out, you deserve fast, honest, professional help — not a runaround, not a bait-and-switch, and not a technician who causes more damage than they fix.
Calling a locksmith is not like calling most trades. You are usually standing outside, often at an awkward hour, and you are about to let a stranger open the thing that keeps everything you own on the other side of it. You rarely have time to shop around, and the people who take advantage of this trade rely on exactly that. So the things worth knowing about us are the ones you can check: we are licensed, we quote before we work, we do not charge more because it is late, and we ask who you are before we open anything.
New York City requires a locksmith to hold a Department of Consumer and Worker Protection license — the agency that was called the Department of Consumer Affairs, which is why the number still carries a DCA suffix. It is not optional, and it is the first thing worth asking any locksmith for. Ours is #1362785-DCA. It appears in the footer of every page on this site, and you are welcome to ask the technician at your door to confirm it.
Our technicians are licensed, bonded, and carry full liability insurance. Bonding and insurance matter for a specific reason: if something goes wrong at your door, there is somebody to stand behind it. An unlicensed operator working out of an unmarked car offers you nothing if your frame is damaged.
The full range of locksmith work, for homes, businesses and vehicles:
No surprises, in this order:
A person answers, at any hour. You describe the door and the lock, and you are told what the job is likely to involve and roughly what it should cost — before anyone is dispatched.
The nearest available technician is sent. Typical arrival is 15 to 20 minutes, longer in heavy traffic or at the outer edges of the boroughs.
The technician identifies themselves and can give our license number, 1362785-DCA. You should expect to be asked to show that you belong there.
Confirmed in front of you, after the technician has seen the actual door rather than guessed at it over the phone. You decide with that number in hand.
Done on site, non-destructively wherever the lock allows. If something unexpected turns up in the door or the frame, you hear about it before it is acted on.
Every lock is tested with every key, from both sides, with the door open and shut.
Two rules, and they are the whole policy.
What moves the number is the lock, the door and the complexity of the job — not the clock. What an emergency locksmith costs in NYC breaks down what to expect before you call anyone.
Emergency Locksmith NY is a mobile locksmith service covering all of New York City. We do not maintain a storefront. Our technicians operate from fully equipped service vehicles positioned across the five boroughs, which is what makes a 15 to 20 minute response realistic and keeps our overhead — and your prices — lower.
It is worth being plain about this, because "no storefront" is sometimes a warning sign in this trade. The difference is the license and the paper trail: a real mobile locksmith holds a city license, gives you a number, quotes before working, and asks who you are. An operation worth avoiding does none of those things, whether or not it has a shop.
New York hardware is not the hardware the rest of the country has, and that is most of what experience here means:
All five boroughs, 24 hours a day, every day of the year:
The full breakdown by neighborhood is on the service areas page.
This matters more in locksmithing than in most trades, because the customer is under pressure and rarely in a position to walk away. We would rather you knew the signs even if you call somebody else.
Our full guide to avoiding locksmith scams in NYC goes through each of these, and how to choose a locksmith in NYC covers what to ask before you book.
Emergency Locksmith NY is a mobile locksmith service covering all of New York City. We do not maintain a storefront — instead, our technicians operate from fully equipped service vehicles positioned strategically across the 5 boroughs. This model allows us to reach you faster and keep our overhead (and your prices) lower.
Emergency Locksmith NY is owned and operated by 5 Star Locksmith Inc. We are fully licensed and insured to provide locksmith services throughout New York City. Our NYC Department of Consumer Affairs license number is #1362785-DCA. We provide 24/7 emergency locksmith service including lockouts, lock changes and replacements, rekeying, high-security lock installation, broken key extraction, and door hardware repair for residential, commercial, and automotive customers across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
Yes. New York City requires a Department of Consumer and Worker Protection locksmith license, and ours is 1362785-DCA. Our technicians are licensed, bonded and carry full liability insurance. Ask any locksmith for their number before they start work - a legitimate one will give it without hesitating.
Typical response is 15 to 20 minutes across all five boroughs. Manhattan and central Brooklyn are usually fastest, and overnight is often quicker than rush hour because the streets are clear. The outer edges of Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island can run longer. Traffic, not distance, is what actually moves the number.
No. We do not add after-hours surcharges. A 3am call on a holiday is quoted the same way as a Tuesday afternoon. You get a firm price before any work begins, and that is the price you pay.
Because a storefront would not help you. We are a mobile service: technicians work from equipped vehicles positioned across the boroughs, which is what makes a 15 to 20 minute response possible and keeps overhead - and your price - lower. A shop in one neighborhood cannot reach the other four quickly.
No, and you should be wary of anyone who would. We ask for identification and something that connects you to the address - a lease, a utility bill, mail in your name, or a building staff member who can vouch for you. For a vehicle we ask for registration or title. It takes a minute, and it is the same protection working in your favor when someone else is standing at your door.
Usually not. Non-destructive entry is the default and the normal outcome - the lock keeps working afterward. Drilling becomes the right answer for a seized cylinder, a snapped key jammed in the keyway, or a high-security lock built to resist picking. In that case you are told the reason and the cost of the replacement before anything is drilled, not after.
Lockouts for homes, apartments, businesses and vehicles; lock changes, replacement and rekeying; high-security and restricted-keyway installation; broken key extraction; safes and vaults; master key systems; exit and panic hardware; and door hardware repair. Residential, commercial and automotive, across all five boroughs.
Emergency Locksmith NY is owned and operated by 5 Star Locksmith Inc., a licensed New York City locksmith operation serving all five boroughs around the clock. Our NYC license number is 1362785-DCA and it appears in the footer of every page on this site.