Note: New York City businesses must comply with all relevant federal, state, and City laws and rules. All laws and rules of the City of New York, including the Consumer Protection Law and Rules, are accessible using the Public Access Portal. For convenience, sections of the New York City Licensing Law (and Rules, if enacted) are available as a downloadable handout. The Law (and Rules) are current as of January 2009.

Please note that businesses are responsible for knowing and complying with the most current laws, including any City Council amendments. The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) is not responsible for errors or omissions in the handout. The information is not legal advice. You can only obtain legal advice from a lawyer.

When You File Your DCA License Application:
Below are requirements when filing your license application:

• Basic Individual License Application   

NEW: Locksmith applicants can now submit new license applications online. Important: If you are a government employee and choose to submit your application online, you will be charged the full license fee. Applying for the license online does not mean the license is automatically approved. A major credit card is required to submit applications online. Service fees apply. After reviewing application requirements, please click the Apply Online link at the bottom of this Web page to submit your application online.

For in-person application submission, applicants can download the Basic Individual License Application (in PDF)

• Photo Identification (ID) of License Applicant
  Acceptable forms of ID include:
  
  • driver’s license or a non-driver’s license identification issued by a State Department of Motor Vehicles
  • license or permit issued by a government agency
  • passport
  • alien card/green card
  • a City, State, or Federal employee ID card 
    
    
• Child Support Certification Form (download)
   
• Granting Authority to Act Affirmation (download)
  If this application will be filed by someone other than the license applicant, the license applicant must submit a Granting Authority to Act Affirmation. 
   
• Current color passport-size photograph of License Applicant
  License Applicants can be photographed in the DCA Licensing Center at no cost. 
  
  Please note that you can upload an image file if you submit your license application online. 
   

• Fingerprints and Processing Fee
  Locksmith applicants must be fingerprinted at the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Licensing Center. EXCEPTIONS: Any person who currently holds or has held within the past three years a DCA license that required fingerprinting does not need to be fingerprinted. Any person fingerprinted at the DCA Licensing Center within the past three years does not need to be fingerprinted. You must visit the DCA Licensing Center, located at 42 Broadway, 5th Floor, in lower Manhattan, and pay a $75 processing fee by check or money order, payable to NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. 
  
  Your fingerprints will be checked for any criminal record that you may have. Note that a conviction will not necessarily prevent you from being granted a license. However, failure to reveal a conviction can constitute grounds for the denial of your application.

• Proof of Locksmith Qualifications  
  Submit ONE of the following three combinations as proof of qualifications to be a locksmith: 
  
  • two (2) Certificates Recommending an Applicant for a Locksmith License (download) signed by New York City-licensed locksmiths OR
  • a letter from Local Union No. 74 Service Employees International Union indicating successful completion of a locksmithing course at a school licensed by the New York State Education Department, and one (1) Certificate Recommending an Applicant for a Locksmith License (download) OR
  • a certificate from a school licensed by the New York State Education Department indicating successful completion of a locksmithing course 
     
    
• License Fee
  For in-person application submissions, the License Fee must be paid by credit card, money order, or check. Cards accepted include Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover Card. Checks or money orders must be payable to NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. The chart below lists the amount due depending upon when your license application is filed. Note: An odd year is any year ending in an odd digit; for example, 2009, 2011, etc. An even year is any year ending in an even digit; for example, 2010, 2012, etc. 
  
  Please note that service fees apply if you submit your license application online. A major credit card is required to submit applications online.

APPLICATION FILING PROCESS: 

ONLINE SUBMISSION:
Please make sure that you have reviewed and recorded the information required to submit a license application online before clicking the button below. Note: After successfully filing the application form online, Locksmith applicants must visit the DCA Licensing Center within five (5) business days to be fingerprinted. As outlined in the “When You File” section, applicants must submit proof of locksmith qualification and a photograph. Please note that the image file you upload must be digital passport photo quality. A digital camera with a resolution of 1 mega-pixel will be more than adequate. If you do not upload required documents as part of the application form submission, you must fax, e-mail, or bring documents to the DCA Licensing Center within five (5) business days after successfully filing the application form online. Applicants should follow instructions on the printed confirmation page. Your license application will not be complete without these requirements.

You will be routed to the New York City Business Express Web site.

IN-PERSON SUBMISSION:
Applications may be filed in person at the DCA Licensing Center at the address above between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.