Safe Key Replacement in Philadelphia

By Michael Schiavone, owner of Aspire Safe and Lock · Updated October 31, 2026

The four kinds of safe key problems

• A key-only safe with no key. Small security boxes, cash boxes and some fire chests open with a key and nothing else.
• A lost backup key on a keypad safe. Most safes don't have a key override, but some lower-cost keypad safes do. People lose that key more than any other, because they rarely need it.
• An old safe with no key at all. Older safes often have a key-locked inner compartment or a key lock on the door. The key was lost decades ago.
• A safe deposit key where the renter is down to one, or none. That's arranged through the bank. See safe deposit box service.

Backup keys on keypad safes

Most safes don't have a key override, so don't count on one. On the lower-cost safes that do have one, the key often ends up lost, or stored inside the safe. If the keypad has failed and there's no key, see safe won't open.

Replacement safe keys

Depending on the lock, Mike can make a replacement key, or replace the lock with a new one and new keys. Text or email a photo of the lock and the brand plate and he can tell you which.

Old safes other shops turned down

In reviews of Philadelphia-area locksmiths, people with an old safe and no key describe being turned away more than once. One reviewer wrote that at least five places said no before they found someone who could make a replacement key for a 20-year-old safe.

Old safes are where Mike's interest lies. In his words, "those antique bank vaults are something else." He has worked on an antique J. Baum safe lettered for a Philadelphia company, an old Diebold and a Herring-Hall-Marvin. If you have an old safe and no key, see inherited and antique safes, and send a photo.

Safe deposit keys

Safe deposit boxes use two keys: the bank's guard key and the renter's key. Typically the renter has two keys and the bank holds the guard key. If the second renter key is lost, Mike can duplicate it. Most banks hold a strict policy of only two renter keys and won't allow more to be made, so renters should start by asking their branch. If all renter keys are lost, the box has to be drilled, and that must be approved through the bank.

Proof that the safe is yours

A key that opens a safe is as sensitive as the combination, so expect to be asked to show the safe is yours before a key is made.

If there's no key and no other way in, the next step is safe opening. And if your safe has a key and a code, but you've lost the code, see lost safe combination.