Lockout authorization form

Pick what you're opening, the language and how much of the ID to record. Add your shop details and print a stack for the van. The customer fills in the lines by hand and signs before you start, or right after you open if their papers are inside.

What's on the form

• Customer: name, phone and the address. The business form adds the business name and their role there.
• Vehicle (car form only): year, make, model, color, plate and VIN.
• Photo ID: the type, who issued it, and the last 4 digits, or the full number and date of birth if you choose.
• Proof checklist: registration, title and insurance card for a car; lease, utility bill or mortgage statement for a home; lease, business license or a letter from the owner for a business.
• Statement: the customer says they own the place or car, or have the owner's OK, and asks you to open it.
• Trip fee notice (optional): what they owe if they can't show ID and proof.
• Signatures: customer, date and time, then the tech's name and signature.

A car lockout, start to finish

1. On the phone, tell the caller you'll need a photo ID and the registration or insurance card, and say the trip fee if they can't show them.
2. On site, hand over the car form. They fill in their name, phone and the car.
3. Check the ID against the name, and the VIN on the registration against the VIN on the dash. Tick what you saw.
4. They sign the statement. You open the car, then sign the technician line.
5. If the papers were in the car, tick "checked right after opening" and write the time.

Check your state's rules

Record keeping rules differ a lot from state to state. California is one of the strictest. Its locksmith law, Business and Professions Code section 6980.55, asks for the customer's name, address, phone, date of birth and driver's license or ID number, plus their signature, when you open a home or business. Keys for a car need the vehicle's registration or ID number too, and each work order is kept for two years (read section 6980.55). A California shop should pick Full ID number and date of birth.

Other states may ask for less, or more. See locksmith license rules by state for your licensing board, and our field guide on proof of ownership on a lockout for what counts as good proof.

This form isn't legal advice. It's a practical template. Have a local attorney review your form before you rely on it, and store signed forms somewhere locked, since they hold personal details.

Sources last checked October 2026.