By the Master Locksmith team · September 14, 2026 · Updated November 11, 2026
Maryland requires locksmith businesses to hold a state license from the Maryland Department of Labor, and every employee who does the work must be registered under it. Before anyone works on your lock, look the business up in the state’s license search, ask for the technician’s photo ID card, get the full price first, and check that the name on the card, the van and the invoice match.
What Maryland requires
- A business license. Locksmith businesses are licensed by the Maryland Department of Labor’s locksmith licensing program. The license covers opening, rekeying, repairing and installing locks, safes and vaults.
- Registered technicians. Employees aren’t licensed on their own. Each one who performs locksmith work is registered under the business’s license and fingerprinted.
- An ID card for every technician. The licensed business must give each technician a photo ID card that shows the license number and its expiration date.
- Insurance. General liability insurance is a condition of the license.
- Records. A licensed business keeps every invoice or receipt at its business address for three years.
Before you call: look them up
- Search the business in the Maryland Department of Labor’s locksmith license search, or call the locksmith program at 410-230-6159.
- Find the full legal name of the business, not just “locksmith services”.
- Check that the address is real. A mobile business should still be able to tell you where it is based.
- Search the name with the words “complaint” and “review”.
The best time to do this is before you need one: save a locksmith you have checked in your phone.
On the phone
Ask for:
- the legal name of the business,
- the total price, including the service call, labor, parts and any extra fees,
- whether the price can change on site, and why.
A vague answer to any of these is a reason to call someone else.
When the technician arrives
- Ask for their ID card. It should show the business’s license number and expiration date.
- Compare the price with what you were told on the phone before any work starts.
- Expect to show your own ID. A legitimate locksmith confirms you are the person the home or car belongs to before opening anything. See what ID we ask for.
- Read anything before you sign it.
Warning signs
| Sign | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A generic name on the phone, like “locksmith services” | Out-of-area call centers often answer this way and send whoever is free |
| A very low phone price that grows on site | The phone price was never the real price |
| Drilling or replacing the lock right away on a simple lockout | Most lockouts can be opened without destroying the lock |
| Pressure to pay in cash | Leaves you with no record and no recourse |
| No ID card, unmarked vehicle, or a name on the invoice that doesn’t match | You can’t check who did the work |
After the job
Get an itemized invoice with the business name, labor, parts and every fee, and keep it.
If something went wrong
Contact the Maryland Department of Labor’s locksmith licensing program (410-230-6159). In Montgomery County, the Office of Consumer Protection also takes complaints (240-777-3636).
About Master Locksmith
Master Locksmith is a licensed and insured mobile locksmith based in Silver Spring. Ask any of our technicians for their ID card, and call (301) 888-5152 for a quote before we drive out. Locked out now? See house lockout or car lockout.
House lockout
