1. Map the doors and the people
We walk the property. Which doors, who needs to open which, and where you want to keep control. I draw the hierarchy and you approve it before anything's cut.
Commercial › Master key systems
Master Key Systems — One Key for You, the Right Key for Everyone Else
You carry one key that opens everything. Your manager's key opens the shop and the office but not the safe room. Each staff key opens the front door and their own area, nothing more. Designed on paper first, then cut and installed — and documented, so in three years you still know who has what.
(559) 862-5852License #LCO6853 · Restricted keyways available · Clovis, Fresno, Sanger and Madera
How it's structured
Levels of access, not piles of keys
A master key system is a hierarchy. Each level opens everything below it.
Grand master — the owner
Opens every door on the property. For a multi-building or multi-tenant site, the grand master sits above each building's own master.
Master — managers and maintenance
Opens every door in one building, department or floor. Usually the manager, the maintenance contractor, or the cleaner if they need everywhere.
Sub-master — a department or a wing
Opens a group of doors — the kitchen and the walk-in, the workshop and the parts room — but not the office or the safe room.
Change key — one door, one person
The individual key for a single door. A tenant's unit, a staff member's office, a storage cage. It opens that door and nothing else, while the master above it still opens all of them.
How it works
From a sketch to a working system
2. Pin the cylinders, cut the keys
Existing locks are rekeyed to the plan where they're compatible; the rest are replaced. Every key is cut to code and stamped so it can be identified.
3. Test, document, hand over
Every key tried in every door it should and shouldn't open. You get a key schedule: which key, which doors, who holds it, with room to add doors later.
Key control
A master key system only works if the keys can't be copied
A master key that anyone can duplicate at a hardware store isn't security — it's a liability. For any system with a master level I recommend a restricted keyway: blanks that aren't sold to the public, so every copy comes from me with your written authorization, and I keep a record of how many exist.
- No "Do Not Duplicate" stamps — kiosks ignore those. Restricted blanks physically can't be copied
- A key log: who has which key, issued when, returned when
- Staff leave? Their change key is rekeyed; the master stays put
- Pairs well with a keypad on the busiest door, so most staff never carry a key at all
Master key questions
What people ask
What is a master key system?
One key that opens every lock in the building, while each door also keeps its own individual key. A manager carries the master; staff carry keys that open only what they need. It's the standard approach for offices, clinics, schools, churches and multi-unit buildings.
Can I add doors later?
Yes, if the system is planned with room to grow. I design it with spare capacity so new doors or new staff levels can be added without starting over.
Do I need to replace all my locks?
Usually not. Locks that share a compatible keyway are rekeyed into the system. Only the odd ones out — or worn-out hardware — get replaced.
What if the master key is lost?
That's the scenario a restricted keyway exists for: the lost key can't have been copied. The system is then rekeyed at the master level. It's a bigger job than a single door, which is why the master should be held by as few people as possible.