Impact & Hurricane Door Locks in Fort Lauderdale
On an impact door in Fort Lauderdale, a replacement lock has to match the hardware the door was tested and approved with. We find the door's approval and fit a lock it allows, or rekey the one you have — from $110 — which leaves the tested hardware untouched.
- Licensed & insured
- 6-month workmanship warranty
- About 20 min to you
Prices for impact-door work
| Job | From | Usual total |
|---|---|---|
| Rekey the existing cylinder (approval unaffected), first lock | $110 | — |
| Each extra cylinder rekeyed on the same visit | $50 | $50–65 |
| Standard lockset swapped for a listed one | $155 | $155–285, more if the listed part costs more |
| Impact slider latch or handle set | $110 | $110–190 |
| Multi-point lock adjustment, gearbox or listed part | quoted after a photo | depends on the door maker |
Nights and weekends are billed like weekdays, the busy days before a storm included.
Why the lock matters on these doors
Broward and Miami-Dade together make up the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, where an impact door's approval covers the whole tested package: slab, frame, glass and hardware. Put a different lock on it and the approval may no longer apply, and a statewide Florida Product Approval alone doesn't carry into Broward or Miami-Dade, where the stricter Miami-Dade NOA applies (National Lock Supply).
In practice, that means the allowed lock is spelled out in the door's own approval paperwork, and a "similar" lock isn't the same as a listed one (National Lock Supply). Some locksets carry their own NOA too; one maker's cylindrical and mortise locks were approved for commercial steel doors after missile-impact and wind-pressure testing (Security Sales & Integration).
Waterfront doors take the most wind
A Fort Lauderdale window and door installer singles out Las Olas Isles and Harbor Beach as canal-front and open-water sites with more wind exposure than inland streets (Republic Window & Door). On those streets, and on the oceanfront towers along A1A, heavy impact doors shift over time, so a multi-point lock that "stopped working" often only needs realigning.
Where to find your door's approval
- A label on the door edge, the hinge side of the frame, or the top of the slab.
- The paperwork from when the door went in — the approval number is often printed on it. No number anywhere? We identify the door maker from the hardware and work from there.
Our process
- Photo first: the whole door, the edge with the bolts, and any label. We tell you rekey, adjust or replace — and the price — before driving.
- Find the approval number and check what hardware it lists.
- Adjust before replacing. Multi-point locks that won't engage are often out of line, not broken.
- Rekey, repair or replace with listed hardware only.
- Test every point: each bolt into its strike, the inactive leaf locked top and bottom, the key turning without force.
Pre-season check (June 1 – November 30)
Broward's preparedness guide dates the season June 1 to November 30 (Broward County). Before it starts:
- Every bolt reaches fully into its strike.
- On double doors, the inactive leaf's top and bottom bolts lock.
- Lifting the handle on a multi-point lock engages every point.
- Shutter locks and keys work — test them now, not with a storm on the way.
When a storm is coming, and after
The city's storm center points residents to AlertFTL sign-ups, a recorded Neighbor Emergency Information Line at 954-828-8888, and its 24-hour Neighbor Service Center at 954-828-8000 (City of Fort Lauderdale). Once the wind drops, walk your doors: a frame that took water or a hit can leave a deadbolt that no longer reaches its strike, or a multi-point lock that won't engage. Call us when that's the only problem; a door that's actually damaged is a job for a door contractor first.
Questions
Does rekeying affect the approval?
No — only the pins inside the cylinder change.
Do you replace the whole impact door?
No. Our part is the lock, the handle set and the adjustment, picked to fit what the door's approval lists. A new door is a permitted job, and that belongs to a door contractor.
Will a keypad deadbolt work on an impact door?
Only if it fits what the door's approval allows. If the listing doesn't cover it, rekeying the existing deadbolt is the safe alternative.
Can you fix a sliding impact door?
Yes, with parts that match its approval — see sliding-door locks.