LOCKSMITH (062)

DCA Licensing Center
42 Broadway, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10004
For more information, call 311

A person must have a Locksmith license to repair, service, install, inspect, and open and close locks by mechanical means. This description is only a general explanation of who needs to have a Locksmith license.

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.

Below are the requirements for a Locksmith license. All requirements must be submitted when filing your application. Applications must be filed in person at the DCA Licensing Center at the address above between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. To speed processing, please submit documents in the order listed below.

• Basic Individual License Application (download).

• Photo ID of the person submitting the application. Acceptable identification includes:
  - a driver's license or a non-driver's ID issued by a State Department of Motor Vehicles
  - a passport
  - an alien card/green card
  - a license or permit issued by a government agency
  - if applicant is a city, state or federal employee, an employee identification card

Note: If this application will be filed by someone other than the person to be licensed, an original notarized Affidavit Granting Authority to Act (download).

• Current Photograph. Come in person with Photo ID to the DCA Licensing Center at 42 Broadway, 5th floor, in Manhattan to be photographed. Photographs are taken at no cost to you.

• Fingerprints. You must come in person with Photo ID to the DCA Licensing Center to be fingerprinted. You must pay a processing fee of $75 by Check (corporate or personal) or Postal Money Order, payable to NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. (Cash will not be accepted.) 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 qualifications to be a locksmith:
Roster of Employees (download). This must be completed by all applicants. If appropriate, indicate "no employees."

Submit one of the following three combinations as proof of qualifications to be a locksmith:

Two Affidavits 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 affidavit of recommendation (see above).

OR: A certificate from a school licensed by the New York State Education Department indicating successful completion of a locksmithing course.

Employees of locksmithing businesses and locksmiths who have a New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Certificate of Authority in their own name do not need to submit any other materials, and should skip to Licensing Fees on the next page.

If you are self-employed, you must submit a photocopy of your New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Certificate of Authority. To obtain an application for a Certificate of Authority, visit the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance online or call toll-free (800) 698-2909. Allow four to six weeks after applying to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to receive your Certificate of Authority. You must enter the Certificate of Authority Sales Tax Identification Number on the attached Basic Individual License Application form.

If you are an employee, nothing additional is needed for this requirement.

If your own name is on your Certificate of Authority, nothing additional is needed for this requirement. If a trade or doing-business-as name appears on your Certificate of Authority, you must submit additional documentation (see below).

For Sole Proprietorships (a business owned by an individual), submit a notarized copy of your Business Certificate. If you are a sole proprietor doing business under your own name and not a trade or doing-business-as name, you do not need a Business Certificate.

For Partnerships, submit a notarized copy of your Partnership Certificate. The County Clerk in the borough in which your business is located must certify these certificates. The address appearing on your Business or Partnership Certificate must be identical to the address for which you are seeking a license.

For Corporations, submit a stamped Certificate of Incorporation or a Filing Receipt. If applicable, you must also submit your corporation's Assumed Name Certificate. These certificates must be stamped by the New York State Secretary of State. For more information, contact the New York State Secretary of State's Division of Corporations at (518) 473-2492.

If your business is an out-of-state corporation, you must obtain a Certificate of Doing Business in Good Standing from your home state's Secretary of State and file this with an application for Authority to Conduct Business in New York with the New York State Secretary of State. A filing receipt from the New York State Secretary of State will be accepted as proof.

Notarized Child Support Certification form (download).

License Fee must be paid by check or money order 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, 2005, 2007, etc. An even year is any year ending in an even digit; for example, 2006, 2008, etc.