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Locksmiths in British Columbia

We are building this province now. British Columbia licenses locksmiths, so we check both the licence and the corporate registry.

Coming soon

These cities open once a business in them has confirmed its details and stated a call-out range.

KelownaListings coming soon

Run a locksmith business in British Columbia?

A free listing carries your phone number, website, hours and the areas you cover, ordered by the same rules as everyone else.

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Services across British Columbia

Access control & fobsFobs, cards and keypads that log who came through and let you revoke one personsee stated rangesCar keys & fobsKeys and fobs cut and programmed on site, including when every key is lostsee stated rangesCommercial & master keyMaster key systems, panic hardware and door closers, priced after a site visitsee stated rangesEmergency lockoutLocked out of a home, car or business, often at the worst hour and at the night ratesee stated rangesFrozen & seized locksSeized winter locks opened without the forced key or cracked glass that follows hot watersee stated rangesKey cuttingSpare keys cut from your original, including restricted profiles a kiosk cannot copysee stated rangesRekey & lock changeNew pins in the same lock so old keys stop working, usually cheaper than replacingsee stated rangesSafe openingCombination changes, lockouts and moves, with proof of ownership asked for firstsee stated ranges

British Columbia licenses locksmiths under the Security Services Act, and it licenses at both levels. The business needs a security business licence to carry on locksmithing, and the individual doing the work needs a locksmith security worker licence. Both are issued by the Security Programs Division. It is one of only three provinces in Canada that regulate the trade at all.

The worker licence is not a formality. A full locksmith licence requires a Locksmith Certificate of Qualification issued under the Skilled Trades BC Act, or documented equivalent experience accepted by the registrar. There is also a supervised licence class for people still training, which is why you may meet a locksmith in BC who is licensed but working under someone else.

So in British Columbia there are two licences to ask about, not one, and a business licence on its own does not mean the person at your door is licensed. We check the third record independently: whether the company is registered and active with BC Registries and Online Services. The registration and the date we last confirmed it are printed on the profile, and we re-check monthly.

None of that is a price. BC does not require a locksmith to publish what they charge, and in our survey almost none do. A listing here gets a phone number once it states a call-out range and lets us date it.

Common questions

Do locksmiths need a licence in British Columbia?
Yes, and at two levels. Under the Security Services Act the business needs a security business licence for locksmithing, and the individual needs a locksmith security worker licence. Both are issued by the Security Programs Division. British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec are the only three provinces in Canada that license locksmiths.
What qualifies someone for a full locksmith licence in BC?
A full locksmith security worker licence requires a Locksmith Certificate of Qualification issued under the Skilled Trades BC Act, or experience and training the registrar accepts as equivalent. There is a separate supervised class for people still working towards it, so a licensed locksmith in BC is not necessarily a fully licensed one.
How do I check a BC locksmith?
Ask for both licences: the security business licence for the company and the security worker licence for the person doing the work. One without the other leaves a gap. Separately, we match each listing to BC Registries and Online Services and print the date we last confirmed the company was active.
How much does a locksmith cost in British Columbia?
Licensing does not set prices and there is no cap. The call-out fee is charged for turning up and is quoted before the work itself. Every BC listing here that shows a phone number has stated a range and the date it stated it. Ask for the total including the call-out before anyone drives out, and get it in writing for anything larger than a lockout.