Restricted Key & IC Core Systems across greater Los Angeles, Ventura County & the Bay Area.

Here is how One & Only Locksmith approaches restricted key & ic core systems.

Restricted keyways and interchangeable cores solve two different problems that usually show up together. A restricted keyway means the blanks are controlled by the manufacturer and cut only by the dealer holding your authorization, so a key cannot be copied at a hardware store, while an interchangeable core means the cylinder pulls out of the lock with a control key and a fresh core drops in, so a lost key is handled in minutes per door without taking the lock apart. We set up both, pin the cores to a master chart, and run the authorization and key records that make the system hold up.

We dispatch across greater Los Angeles, Ventura County, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area; see the city pages for local detail. The dispatch line at (888) 492-0666 is answered around the clock.

• Door audit: which locks accept a small-format (SFIC) or large-format (LFIC) core as-is, which need an IC-ready lever or housing, and which doors should be restricted
• Registration of a restricted keyway under the business with a signed authorization form naming who may order keys and cores
• IC cores pinned to a master chart (control key, master, sub-masters, change keys) and installed in levers, mortise and rim housings, exit devices and padlocks
• Conversion of existing conventional locks to IC housings where the doors warrant it
• Keys cut on controlled blanks, stamped by code and logged in a key register
• A spare-core kit and swap procedure for the facilities team on larger sites
• System documentation: keying chart, key register, authorization form, and a list of which doors carry which cores

• Frequent staff turnover and rekey costs
• Sensitive areas (server rooms, cash rooms, pharmacies)
• Multi-tenant properties with shared common areas
• Schools and dorms with frequent key losses
• Government and compliance-driven facilities

• Authorization from the business owner or facilities director, and the name and signature of the person who will be the authorized key signer
• A door list with the access levels you want (who opens what)
• Photos of a few representative locks so we can tell whether they already have a figure-eight IC core or a conventional cylinder
• The number of keys per level and whether the facilities team should hold a control key
• Any existing key records or chart if you are extending a system rather than starting one

Typically 10-20 minutes per door to swap a core into a lock that already accepts IC, and 30-60 minutes per door when a lever or mortise cylinder must be changed to an IC housing first. Chart design and keyway registration happen before the visit, and a building with many doors is scheduled as a multi-day project. Later core swaps with a control key take a few minutes per door.

• A restricted keyway controls who can order blanks; it does not make the lock pick resistant unless you also choose a high-security core. Restricted standard-security and restricted high-security are different products at different prices
• Keys and cores are issued only to the authorized signer with ID, and changing the signer goes through the manufacturer's paperwork. A new manager cannot order keys on the day they start
• Blanks and cores for registered keyways ship from the manufacturer or an authorized dealer, so lead times apply. Order keys ahead, not day-of
• SFIC and LFIC are not interchangeable with each other. A system has to pick one format, and some existing locks cannot accept either without replacing the lock
• The control key removes every core in the system. It must be held by one accountable person; a lost control key means re-pinning the control shear line across the system
• Fire-rated and exit-path doors keep their hardware listing and egress requirements regardless of the core; we only change the cylinder on those
• Some older restricted keyways have had their patents expire and blanks have reached the open market; we tell you if your existing system is one of them

Core format and brand, standard versus high-security cores, how many doors already accept IC versus need a housing, keyway registration, the number of master levels, key and core quantities, and whether a spare-core kit is wanted set the price. Keys and cores ordered later are priced per piece and require the signer on file.

The dispatcher gives you a range on the phone, and the technician confirms a written quote before any work starts.

Payment is by Cash, Credit Card, Debit Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and you receive an itemized receipt listing what was done.

• Best A2, A3 and A4 SFIC cores and Best CORMAX restricted SFIC
• Schlage SFIC and full-size (FSIC) cores, Schlage Everest 29 and Primus XP restricted
• Medeco KeyMark restricted and Medeco M4 high-security IC cores
• Mul-T-Lock MT5+ SFIC and LFIC cores
• Sargent Degree and Signature restricted keyways with LFIC cores
• Corbin Russwin Access 3 restricted LFIC
• Arrow Pointe and Falcon SFIC housings
• IC-ready levers, mortise and rim housings, exit-device cylinders and Best 21B and 41B padlocks

A master key system organizes who opens which doors. A restricted keyway controls who can copy a key. Many buildings need both: master keyed for convenience, restricted so a departing employee's key cannot be duplicated at a kiosk. Interchangeable cores add a third option, letting a lost key be dealt with by swapping the core rather than the lock.

We dispatch across greater Los Angeles, Ventura County, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area; see the city pages for local detail. For restricted key & ic core systems, the city pages list ZIP codes, nearby communities and any local access notes.

Greater Los Angeles includes the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, the South Bay, the San Gabriel Valley, the Gateway Cities, the Santa Clarita Valley and the Antelope Valley. Ventura County includes the Conejo Valley and the coastal cities. In the Bay Area we cover Silicon Valley, the Peninsula and the southern East Bay.

For restricted key & ic core systems, tell the dispatcher your address and what is wrong. You get an ETA before anyone is sent, a written quote before any work starts and a receipt when it is done. The line is answered around the clock.

One & Only Locksmith is bonded and insured; a certificate of insurance is available on request.