A locksmith gets called when someone is locked out, but the job itself is really about trust. The work involves entering homes and businesses, bypassing locks that are supposed to keep people out, handling master key systems for apartment complexes and commercial properties, and sometimes programming access control and alarm systems. That combination of physical access and specialized skill is exactly why a handful of states put locksmiths through state licensing with fingerprint-based background checks, and why employers in every other state end up building their own screening standard instead.
Why the trade gets screened at all
Locksmiths are trusted with information and access that most tradespeople never touch. A residential locksmith learns which houses have weak entry points. A commercial locksmith may hold master keys or rekey entire buildings. A locksmith who also installs electronic access control or safes is handling the same systems that protect cash, records, and inventory. If that person has a history of burglary, breaking and entering, or theft, the risk is not theoretical. It is the exact crime the license or the background check is meant to prevent.
That is the same logic behind screening for other roles that carry keys and access, including property management employees who hold keys to occupied units and security guards who staff the buildings locksmiths service.
Which states license locksmiths
Locksmith licensing is not universal. Most states have no statewide locksmith license at all, which means there is no fingerprint requirement, no state exam, and no state disqualifier list to check against. A smaller group of states run the trade through a formal licensing program, usually housed inside the state’s private security or professional regulation agency rather than a dedicated locksmith board.
Texas regulates locksmith companies and their employees under the Private Security Program run by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Locksmith businesses and the individuals who perform locksmith work for them are licensed or registered under this program, and applicants go through DPS’s fingerprint-based criminal history review as part of that process.
California licenses locksmith companies and registers individual locksmith employees through the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), the same agency that licenses alarm companies, private investigators, and security guards. A locksmith company license and a locksmith employee registration are separate credentials, and both require the applicant to submit fingerprints for a state and federal criminal history check before BSIS will issue the license.
Illinois licenses locksmiths under the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004, administered by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). The application process includes fingerprinting and a background check, and the license structure covers both locksmith agencies and the individual employees who do the work in the field.
Outside of states with a dedicated locksmith license, do not assume the trade is unregulated. Several states fold locksmith work into a broader alarm or electronic security contractor license, and local governments sometimes require a business permit or a sheriff’s department background check even where the state does not. Anyone building a compliance program should confirm current rules directly with the relevant state licensing board before assuming a state has no requirement, since regulatory programs get added, repealed, or moved between agencies.
| State | Regulator | What is licensed | Background check element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Texas Department of Public Safety, Private Security Program | Locksmith companies and individual locksmiths | Fingerprint-based criminal history check on applicants |
| California | Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) | Locksmith company license and separate locksmith employee registration | Fingerprint submission reviewed against state and federal criminal history records |
| Illinois | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) | Locksmith agencies and individual locksmith employees | Fingerprinting and background check as part of licensure |
| Most other states | No dedicated locksmith board | No statewide locksmith license | Left entirely to the employer’s own screening program |
What the state-level check actually looks for
Where a state license exists, the fingerprint submission is run against state criminal history repositories and, in most programs, the FBI database as well, since fingerprints identify a person more reliably than a name search alone. A name-only check can miss records filed under a different spelling, a maiden name, or a common name shared by many people, which is one reason regulators that license access-sensitive trades tend to require fingerprints rather than a name-based search. Applicants with disqualifying convictions are typically denied or face a formal review before the license issues, and license holders who pick up a new conviction after licensure are generally required to self-report it to the board.
Employer-run checks where no state license exists
Since a state locksmith license is the exception, most locksmith businesses and the companies that hire locksmiths as employees or contractors are operating without a state-mandated screening baseline. That does not mean screening is optional from a risk standpoint. It means the employer has to decide what standard to hold applicants to, and that standard should be at least as thorough as what a licensed state would require, given that the job carries the same access risk everywhere.
A reasonable program for an unlicensed-state locksmith employer typically includes a criminal history search at the county and statewide level for every jurisdiction the applicant has lived in, a sex offender registry check, identity verification through an SSN trace, and a motor vehicle record check if the role involves driving a company vehicle to job sites. Employers who dispatch locksmiths into customers’ homes are effectively vouching for that person’s trustworthiness, and a documented, consistently applied screening process is also part of defending against a negligent hiring claim if something goes wrong later.
Common disqualifiers
Whether the check is run by a state board or by the employer directly, the disqualifiers that come up most often for locksmith work track the specific risk of the job rather than a generic list. Convictions for burglary, breaking and entering, criminal trespass, larceny, robbery, and theft are the most direct concerns, since they mirror the exact access the job provides. Fraud and forgery convictions raise concerns for locksmiths who also handle safe combinations, secure records rooms, or financial institution vaults. For anyone whose work touches electronic access control or alarm systems, unauthorized computer access convictions are relevant as well.
A disqualifier in a state licensing program is not automatically a lifetime bar. Many state boards, and increasingly employers, apply an individualized assessment that weighs the nature and severity of the offense, how much time has passed, and the relevance of the conviction to the duties of the job rather than issuing an automatic denial. The EEOC’s enforcement guidance on arrest and conviction records lays out those factors and is a useful reference for any employer building a consistent decision process rather than deciding case by case with no documented standard.
Apprentice and employee registration rules
States that license the trade generally do not stop at the business level. California requires a separate registration for each individual who works as a locksmith employee, in addition to the company holding its own license, and an unregistered employee generally cannot perform locksmith services independently. Illinois similarly licenses individual locksmiths, not just the agency they work for. Texas structures this around company licenses with registered qualifying individuals and employees who must meet the same fingerprint and background standard as the business itself.
In practice, this means an apprentice or a newly hired locksmith in a licensed state is usually required to complete their own registration and background check before working unsupervised, even if the company that employs them already holds a valid license. Employers who skip this step and let an unregistered employee perform locksmith work in the field are exposing the business to the same licensing violation as operating without a company license at all.
FCRA obligations when the employer runs the check
Any locksmith employer that uses a third party to run a background check, rather than pulling records itself, is triggering the Fair Credit Reporting Act. That means providing a clear, standalone disclosure to the applicant, getting written authorization before ordering the report, and following the adverse action process, a pre-adverse action notice with a copy of the report and a summary of rights, followed by a waiting period before a final adverse action notice, if the results lead to a decision not to hire. The FTC’s guidance on using consumer reports for employment walks through these obligations in plain language, and it applies the same way to a two-person locksmith shop as it does to a national security company. Getting the paperwork right on the front end, covered in more detail in our guide to background check consent and authorization forms, is what keeps a legitimate screening decision from turning into an FCRA compliance problem.
Frequently asked questions
Do all states require a locksmith license?
No. Most states do not have a statewide locksmith license. Texas, California, and Illinois are examples of states that do license the trade through their private security or professional regulation agencies, and each requires fingerprinting as part of the application. In states without a license, screening depends entirely on what the employer chooses to require.
Does a locksmith license require a fingerprint background check?
In the states that license locksmiths, yes. Texas, California, and Illinois all require applicants to submit fingerprints, which are checked against state and, in most cases, federal criminal history records before a license or registration is issued.
What convictions typically disqualify a locksmith applicant?
Burglary, breaking and entering, larceny, robbery, theft, and fraud are the convictions most consistently treated as disqualifying, since they align directly with the access and trust the job requires. Many boards and employers apply an individualized assessment rather than an automatic lifetime bar, weighing the offense, the time elapsed, and its relevance to the work.
Can a locksmith work as an apprentice before getting licensed?
In states with licensing programs, apprentices generally need to be registered with the state and, in many cases, supervised until they complete their own individual licensing or registration requirements. Letting an unregistered person perform locksmith work independently can violate the same rules that apply to operating without a business license.
Does the FCRA apply to a small locksmith business running background checks?
Yes. Any employer, regardless of size, that orders a background check through a third-party consumer reporting agency must comply with the FCRA, including proper disclosure, written authorization, and the adverse action process before and after a denial based on the report.
Whether a locksmith hire needs to clear a state license or just an employer’s own screening standard, the same fingerprint and criminal history tools apply. See Reveal Background’s pricing for locksmith companies and property management or security firms that hire locksmiths building a compliant, consistent screening process.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Locksmith licensing and background check requirements vary by state and change over time, so confirm current rules with the applicable state licensing board and consult an employment attorney before finalizing a hiring or licensing decision.
