Locksmith and Security Services in Georgetown, Washington, DC
RBD Security is a Georgetown locksmith and security company based in Washington, DC, with an office at 1717 N Street NW, about a mile and a half east of Wisconsin Avenue. We rekey and repair the period hardware on Georgetown’s Federal and Victorian rowhouses, upgrade intercoms and access control in its apartment buildings and offices, install security cameras, and fabricate steel gates, railings and window bars that pass review in the historic district. Emergency lockout service runs 24/7. Call (202) 709-9466.
A Georgetown locksmith who knows the neighborhood
RBD Security is a local DC company. Our technicians work in Georgetown regularly, from the shops and restaurants along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue to the rowhouses of the East Village and West Village, the townhouses up Book Hill, the apartment buildings near Georgetown University and the waterfront condos along K Street and the C&O Canal. When you call a locksmith in Georgetown, you are calling people who already know the one-way streets, the alley carriage houses and where to park on a Saturday.
We cover the whole neighborhood, from the Potomac north to Reservoir Road and from Rock Creek west to Georgetown University and Glover Park. There is no Metro station in Georgetown, so tell us the nearest cross street and we will find you.
Federal rowhouses, carriage houses and Old Georgetown review
Georgetown has the oldest housing stock in the city. Many of its Federal and Victorian rowhouses still carry original or period doors with mortise locks, rim locks and surface bolts. We repair and rekey that hardware, or fit a high-security cylinder such as Medeco or Mul-T-Lock inside the existing lock so the door keeps its look while you get real key control.
A lot of Georgetown houses have an English basement rental, a rear carriage house on the alley, or a garden gate that opens onto a shared mews. Each of those is a separate key, a separate lock and often a separate tenant. A small master key system, or a mechanical keypad lock on the garden gate, keeps the keys under control when tenants, contractors and housekeepers come and go.
The commercial strip on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue runs on aluminum glass storefront doors, panic hardware, roll-down grilles and high staff turnover. We service all of it, and we set up restricted keyways and small master key systems so a departing employee’s key stops being a risk.
Historic district note: all of Georgetown is a federally designated historic district under the Old Georgetown Act. Exterior changes visible from a public street, including fences, gates, railings, window bars and doors, are reviewed by the Old Georgetown Board of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, with the DC Historic Preservation Office handling permits. We fabricate gates and grilles in simple designs that have passed that review before, and we are glad to help you put together the drawings.
Services for Georgetown homes and businesses
- Residential locksmith: rekeying, mortise and rim lock repair, and high-security cylinders for period doors.
- Emergency lockouts: 24/7 help when you are locked out of your house, basement unit or office.
- Intercom systems: video and telephone entry for apartment buildings, condos and split rowhouses.
- Access control: card readers, keypads and cloud systems for offices, clinics and university-area buildings.
- Commercial locksmith: storefront locks, panic bars, grille locks and master key systems for M Street and Wisconsin Avenue shops.
- Custom welding: garden gates, areaway railings and window bars designed for Old Georgetown review.
- Security cameras: coverage for front doors, rear alleys, carriage houses and shop entrances.
Security guides for Georgetown owners
- Alley gate security for DC rowhouses
- Window bars in a historic district: what gets reviewed
- Rekey or replace locks after moving in
- Pedestrian gate locks: keypad, electric and solar options
- Medeco® vs. Mul-T-Lock® restricted keyways
Georgetown and the neighborhoods next door
We also work in Glover Park, Burleith, Foxhall, the West End and Foggy Bottom. See our pages for Dupont Circle, Friendship Heights and Arlington, just across Key Bridge, or the Washington DC locksmith page for the rest of the city.
Need a locksmith in Georgetown right now? Call (202) 709-9466, 24/7 for emergencies, or request a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. We cover the whole neighborhood, from the waterfront to Reservoir Road and from Rock Creek to the university, plus Glover Park, Burleith and Foxhall next door. Our office is at 1717 N Street NW in Dupont Circle, about ten minutes away.
Usually, yes. Most period mortise and rim locks can be rekeyed or fitted with a new high-security cylinder without changing the door or the visible hardware. If the lock body is worn out, we can source a replacement that fits the existing mortise.
Exterior work visible from a public street in Georgetown is reviewed by the Old Georgetown Board and permitted through the DC Historic Preservation Office. Simple designs are routinely approved. We fabricate to suit and can help with the drawings.
We are based in Dupont Circle and respond 24/7. Call (202) 709-9466, send a photo of the lock for an estimate, and have ID ready; we verify that you are the resident or an authorized employee before opening a door.