Commercial lockout | Capital Sentinel, Washington DC

This is emergency work. Call (202) 900-5625. It is outside the grand opening discount.

After-hours entry only after authority is clear

A commercial lockout is entry for a business when the people with keys are not there. Authority to enter is verified before any bypass. The method is non-destructive when the lock allows it. A key override, a lawful entry method, a cylinder, or an access credential may be involved. The door is resecured before we leave, and the visit is logged. No authorization, an alarm that is still armed, a damaged stile, and a shared key nobody can name will stop or change the job.

Call from the door if you are locked out of a shop, office, or clinic you can prove you may enter. Do not ask us to open a space because a lease dispute is 'basically settled.' Residential lockout is a different visit. Say whether an alarm company needs a call first.

Alarms, stiles, and a door that is locked again before we leave

You get a checked entry, a resecured door, and a log line. You do not get a new master key system as a side effect. Authorization and an after-hours log are the paperwork. If the cylinder was destroyed by someone else's attempt, replacement is quoted before we continue.

DC retail basements and Maryland office parks often have a second lock the caller forgot, plus an alarm panel just inside. We ask. A Virginia warehouse with a damaged aluminum stile may not survive a bypass that would have been fine on a hollow-metal door. The stile decides the method.

Frequent questions

What proof of authority do you accept at a business door?

Something that ties you to that tenancy: a lease, a letter, a utility bill, or a manager we can reach who will say yes on a recorded line. A logo on a shirt is not enough at midnight.

Do you pick the lock as a default?

No. The least destructive method that the lock and the stile allow is the one used. Picking is a lawful option on some cylinders and a bad idea on a narrow stile that will crumple.

Why log an after-hours visit?

So the next manager knows who opened the door and that it was locked again. The log is a few lines, not a story. We do not leave a dark shop unlatched.

What if the alarm is armed and you are the only one here?

We wait while you reach the alarm company or the person who knows the code. Opening the door and letting a siren run is not the service.

After-hours entry only after authority is clear

Alarms, stiles, and a door that is locked again before we leave

Frequent questions

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