Check us before you open the door: license LCO 8138
California licenses locksmith companies, and the license is public. Here is ours, what it means, and how to look it up in a minute without taking our word for it.
LOCKSMITH LIC. LCO 8138CA BSIS · tap to verifyWhat the license record shows
Who issues it
The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, BSIS, is part of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. It licenses locksmith companies, registers their employees, and handles regulation and discipline. The Bureau states its first priority plainly: protecting the public.
A person who only copies existing keys does not need this license. Anyone who opens, installs, repairs or changes locks as a business does.
How to check it yourself
- Open the state lookupThe button below goes straight to our record on the Department of Consumer Affairs license search.
- Or search it yourselfOn search.dca.ca.gov, choose the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services and search for LCO 8138 or Patriot Lock and Key.
- Or call the BureauBSIS checks license status by phone at (800) 952-5210.
- Look at three thingsThe company name, a status of current, and an expiration date that has not passed.
What California asks of a licensed locksmith company
- A locksmith company must hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services.
- Owners, partners and corporate officers go through a criminal history background review by the California Department of Justice and the FBI before the license is issued, and the company names the person who runs it day to day.
- Every employee who does locksmith work for the company must be registered with the Bureau, after the same background review.
- An owner, partner or officer working as a locksmith carries a valid pocket identification card and photo ID. A registered employee carries the Bureau registration card and a California driver's license or ID card.
- The company license is displayed at the place of business and in each mobile service vehicle.
- The customer's receipt includes the company name and the company license number.
That is also why you can ask whoever comes to your door to show the license and a photo ID. It is a fair question and we expect it.
Sources: BSIS, Consumer Guide to Locksmith Companies · BSIS, Locksmith Company and Locksmith Employee Fact Sheet · BSIS, Attention all Locksmiths. Business and Professions Code sections 6980.26, 6980.33, 6980.42, 6980.48 and 6980.55, as cited by BSIS.