How to become a locksmith: the complete guide

You can start learning to become a locksmith this week. Whether you can work on your own this week depends on your state.

Thirteen states license locksmiths statewide. In the other 37 states and DC, the path is training, hands-on hours and a specialty customers pay for. This guide shows how to become a locksmith, from checking your state to opening your own shop.

How to become a locksmith, step by step

Six steps cover every state. In a licensing state, step 3 comes before you can work on your own.

1. Check your state's rule

   Look up your state in our free locksmith license by state tool. It names the agency, the law and any city or county rules.

2. Learn the trade

   Take a hands-on class, then get paid work under an experienced locksmith. The US Labor Department lists the job as long-term on-the-job training, which it defines as more than 12 months.

3. Get the license, registration or apprentice permit

   Where your state requires one, expect a fingerprint background check. Many states add an exam or proof of hours.

4. Add certifications

   ALOA's certifications show employers and customers what you can do. They are separate from a license.

5. Choose a specialty

   Residential and commercial, automotive, safes, or access control. Each has its own tools and credentials.

6. Work for a shop or open your own

   Several licensing states expect you to work for a licensed company first.

Which states require a locksmith license?

Thirteen states require a locksmith license, registration or permit statewide. The other 37 states and DC do not, as of October 2026.

Each state builds its license differently. Some license the company and the person, some only the individual, and Nevada leaves it to the county sheriff.

A state with no license can still have local rules. New York City, Nassau County and Yonkers in New York, Provo in Utah, and Olympia and Mountlake Terrace in Washington license locksmiths, for example. Tennessee repealed its state license on May 27, 2021, so any guide that still lists it is out of date.

How do you learn locksmithing?

Take a hands-on class for the basics, then learn the rest on paid jobs. A class takes days, while states and federal data measure the full learning in months and years.

North Carolina's board puts it plainly: the state does not regulate how locksmithing is taught or learned, but you need the license to serve the public. Its guide even suggests applying to working locksmiths, who might hire you as an apprentice.

What 5,040 hours looks like

New Jersey's 3 years of experience means 36 months of at least 20 working days, for a minimum of 5,040 hours. That works out to 7 hours a day. Supervising, estimating and managerial work does not count toward it.

What does a locksmith license cost and require?

It depends on the state. North Carolina charges $538 in board fees for a first license, while New Jersey asks for 5,040 hours of experience or a 2-year apprenticeship, plus training and an exam.

North Carolina: the exam route

1. Apply first

   The Board wants the application done before you can sit the exam. The fee is $300.

2. Get fingerprinted

   The background check is a LiveScan of your fingerprints and costs $38. The police agency may charge its own fee.

3. Pass the exam

   It is a paper multiple choice test with a $200 fee and a 70% pass mark. It has 150 questions: 75 general, 20 automotive, 15 safe and vault, 5 access control and 35 rules and ethics.

The Board says the exam suits someone with about a year of experience. If you are not ready, an apprentice license lasts 3 years, needs no exam up front and cannot be renewed. A licensed locksmith must employ and supervise you, and you must pass the exam before it expires.

New Jersey: hours, training and an exam

• Age and school: 18 or older, with a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Experience: 5,040 hours of hands-on work, or a 2-year apprenticeship approved by the US Department of Labor.
• Training: 2 hours each in the barrier free subcode, the uniform construction code, the ADA code, industrial safety and the state's alarm and locksmith law, within 3 years before you apply.
• Exam: the state locksmithing exam.

Texas: the company route

• Two licenses: a company license for any business that installs or services locks or advertises as a locksmith, and an individual license for each locksmith, who must work for a licensed company.
• Owners: anyone who owns 51% or more of a licensed company also needs an individual license.
• Basics: 18 or older, with fingerprints and a criminal history check.
• Insurance: company liability coverage of $100,000 per occurrence for bodily injury and property damage.

Which locksmith certifications are worth getting?

Start with ALOA's CRL, because every higher level requires the one below it. A certification shows skill, but only a license lets you work in a state that licenses.

• CRL, Certified Registered Locksmith: the mandatory exam plus any 2 electives.
• CPL, Certified Professional Locksmith: the CRL, then 12 more electives.
• CML, Certified Master Locksmith: the CPL, then 9 more electives.

Each elective has 25 to 40 questions, and ALOA offers more than 35 of them. Louisiana and Alabama use ALOA's Certified Licensed Locksmith exam as part of their licensing, so a class there can serve both goals.

How much do locksmiths make?

The median locksmith made $51,320 a year in May 2025, or $24.68 an hour. The middle half earned $43,160 to $64,560.

Hourly, the 10th percentile was $17.08 and the 90th was $38.17.

Those numbers come from the BLS wage survey, which counted 15,040 employed locksmiths and safe repairers. It does not cover the self-employed or owners of unincorporated firms, so owner earnings are not in the data. Model yours with the startup cost calculator and the hourly rate calculator.

A license does not predict pay. Texas and North Carolina license locksmiths and sit below New York, which has no state license.

BLS also projects locksmith and safe repairer jobs to fall 12 percent from 2025 to 2035, from 18,700 to about 16,500. We read that as a reason to build a specialty, not a reason to skip the trade.

Which locksmith specialty should you pick?

Pick the specialty your area buys and you can credential. Each path has its own training, and most have their own certifications.

Start with the general track, though. Half of North Carolina's licensing exam, 75 of 150 questions, is general locksmithing.

Should you work for a shop first or start your own business?

Work for a shop first if your state licenses locksmiths, because several states do not let you work alone on day one. In a state with no license, the choice is yours.

Wherever you work, check ID before you open anything. Texas requires a government ID and a signed statement of ownership or right to enter, except when someone is in imminent danger.

The free lockout authorization form covers the routine and gives the customer something to sign.

Questions to ask before an apprentice job

Ask the shop four things:

1. Is the company licensed? In Texas and North Carolina, your own license depends on it.
2. Who supervises me? Get a name, not a promise.
3. What will I actually do? Lockouts, rekeys, cars, commercial hardware.
4. Will my hours count? Ask whether the shop will document them.