Can a tenant change the locks in Nevada? NRS Chapter 118A, the state’s residential landlord and tenant law, never says yes or no for an ordinary apartment lock change in Las Vegas. What it does say is narrower and more useful: a tenant may not damage or remove any part of the premises (NRS 118A.310), the landlord keeps a right to enter with at least 24 hours’ notice (NRS 118A.330), a tenant who is a victim of domestic violence can require a new lock (NRS 118A.345), and a landlord can never change the locks to force a tenant out (NRS 118A.390). So the practical answer for an apartment lock change in Las Vegas lives in your lease, read alongside those four sections. This post from 24/7 Locksmith 4U LV, a locksmith shop at 3620 E. Flamingo Rd that rekeys east-side apartments every week, explains what each section says. It is not legal advice; the Civil Law Self-Help Center run by Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada is the free place to ask about your own case.
What NRS 118A actually says about locks
| Section | What it says | What it means for an apartment lock change |
|---|---|---|
| NRS 118A.290 (habitability) | The landlord must keep the dwelling habitable: roof, exterior walls, windows and doors, plumbing, water, heat, electrical, garbage removal, common areas, floors, ventilation and landlord-supplied facilities. Locks are not specifically listed. | No specific statutory lock standard and no stated duty to rekey between tenants. Fresh keys at move-in are a lease and policy question. |
| NRS 118A.310(1)(f) (tenant duties) | The tenant must not deliberately or negligently damage, impair or remove any part of the premises, or let anyone else do so. | A lock change that destroys the door, strike or original hardware breaches this. A clean rekey, or a like-for-like swap with the original kept for move-out, does not. |
| NRS 118A.330 (landlord access) | Entry only with the tenant’s consent or in an emergency; outside emergencies, at least 24 hours’ notice and normal business hours; otherwise only by court order, abandonment, or as NRS 118A.440 allows. | The statute assumes the landlord can get in with notice. A lock the landlord has no key to does not break the statute, but it usually breaks the lease, which is why written permission plus a copy of the key is the clean path. |
| NRS 118A.345(8) and (9) (domestic violence) | After giving the notice the section describes, the tenant, cotenant or a household member may require the landlord to install a new lock at the requester’s cost; the landlord may rekey a lock in good condition or replace the whole mechanism with one of equal or better quality; the landlord may keep a copy of the new key and must refuse a key to the adverse party. | This is the one case where Nevada law orders a lock change and sets who pays and who gets a key. |
| NRS 118A.390 (unlawful lockout) | A landlord who locks out a tenant or cuts essential services faces an expedited court complaint: the tenant files a verified complaint within 5 judicial days and the court hears it within 3 judicial days, with damages, restoration of access and possible contempt. | A landlord cannot have a locksmith change the locks on an occupied unit to remove a tenant. Eviction goes through the Justice Court and the constable. |
The official text is at the Nevada Legislature’s site: NRS Chapter 118A.
You are the tenant and want the locks changed
Three situations bring Las Vegas renters to the 24/7 Locksmith 4U LV counter: a lost key, a roommate or partner who moved out with a key, or a forced door. In all three the advice is the same, and it keeps you inside NRS 118A.310 and your lease:
- Read the lock clause in your lease. Las Vegas apartment leases commonly either forbid changing locks without written consent or require the landlord to receive a key. Either way, step two is the same.
- Get written consent from the manager (an email or portal message is enough) and offer a copy of the new key. In the shop’s experience, managers in the Flamingo, Tropicana and Boulder Highway corridors usually say yes, because a rekey they hold a key to protects them too.
- Ask for a rekey, not a new lock. Rekeying changes the pins inside the existing cylinder so the old keys stop working while the landlord’s hardware stays on the door. Nothing is removed, so there is nothing to argue about at move-out.
- If the hardware is damaged or you want a better deadbolt, keep the original in a bag with the old keys. A like-for-like swap you can reverse is a very different thing from a lock the landlord cannot open and cannot find.
Before rekeying an apartment door, a 24/7 Locksmith 4U LV technician asks for photo ID, proof you live in the unit (lease, utility bill, mail), and the landlord’s consent when the lease requires it. From a Google review, Mac, May 2026: “got my apartment opened and even put a new lock in for me and matched my old key.” Matching the new cylinder to the existing key is what keeps the landlord’s key working.
Changing the locks after domestic violence (NRS 118A.345)
Nevada treats this case differently from every other lock change. Under NRS 118A.345, a tenant, cotenant or household member who is a victim of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking can give the landlord written notice with a protection order, a law enforcement report, or the affidavit form the statute describes. Once that notice is given, subsection 8 lets the tenant, cotenant or household member require the landlord to install a new lock on the dwelling. The requester pays the cost. The landlord complies by rekeying the existing lock if it is in good working condition, or by replacing the whole locking mechanism with one of equal or superior quality. Under subsection 9 the landlord may keep a copy of the new key, must refuse a key to the adverse party, and must not let the adverse party in to collect property unless a law enforcement officer is present.
When a landlord or manager authorizes one of these, 24/7 Locksmith 4U LV rekeys every exterior lock on the unit, cuts new keys for the tenant and one for management if the landlord asks for it, and hands nothing to anyone else. If you are in this situation and the landlord is slow, the Civil Law Self-Help Center’s protection order pages explain the paperwork the statute refers to.
You are the landlord or property manager
Nothing in NRS 118A forces a Las Vegas landlord to rekey between tenants, which surprises many renters. What the statute does enforce is the other direction: under NRS 118A.390, changing the locks on an occupied unit, removing the door, or shutting off power or water to push a tenant out is an unlawful lockout. The Civil Law Self-Help Center’s page on illegal lockouts describes the remedy: the tenant files within 5 judicial days at the local Justice Court (for Las Vegas township, the Regional Justice Center at 200 Lewis Avenue), the hearing is set within 3 judicial days, and the court can order access restored and award damages. That is why 24/7 Locksmith 4U LV will not change locks on an occupied apartment at a landlord’s request without proof the unit is vacant (keys returned, a signed move-out, or a completed eviction with the constable’s lockout). Turnover rekeys on an empty unit are a different matter and a routine east-side call; the commercial locksmith page covers master key systems for managers.
Mailbox locks are a separate question
Apartment mailboxes do not follow the apartment door rules. The Postal Service’s guidance for centralized mailboxes is to ask the owner, manager or superintendent for a replacement key, because in most complexes the box belongs to the property; USPS-owned cluster box units go through the local Post Office instead. Either way a tenant cannot order the change alone, and when management authorizes it the job is small. From a Google review, Kaaleya, May 2026: “Edrey was very polite, professional and helped me when I needed my mailbox locks changed.”
Who can order an apartment lock change in Las Vegas, and what the technician asks for
| Who is calling | Can order the work? | What 24/7 Locksmith 4U LV asks to see | Best hardware choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenant, lost key or ex-roommate has a key | Usually yes, within the lease | Photo ID, proof of residency, landlord’s written OK when the lease requires it | Rekey the existing cylinders; give management a key if the lease says so |
| Tenant after a break-in, hardware damaged | Yes, with the landlord informed (NRS 118A.310 covers damage either way) | Photo ID, proof of residency, police report number if there is one | Replace like for like, keep the old hardware for move-out, or ask management to approve an upgraded deadbolt |
| Tenant, cotenant or household member under NRS 118A.345 | Yes; the statute lets you require it | Photo ID, proof of residency; the landlord handles the statutory notice | Rekey every exterior lock on the same visit; landlord may keep a key, adverse party gets none |
| Landlord or manager, vacant unit at turnover | Yes | Proof of authority for the property and that the unit is vacant | Rekey to the next key in the master system, or replace worn cylinders |
| Landlord, tenant still in possession | No (NRS 118A.390) | The job is declined; eviction runs through Justice Court and the constable | None |
Rekeying several doors at once is routine. From a Google review, Carmen, March 2026: “Adrian was wonderful and so understanding in all that I needed done with my six locks being rekeyed.” The residential locksmith page lists the rekey, repair and deadbolt services available to Las Vegas renters and owners, with an upfront quote before work starts.
Frequently asked questions
Can a tenant change locks in Nevada without the landlord’s permission?
Nevada’s NRS 118A does not prohibit it outright, but it also does not authorize it. The tenant must not damage or remove any part of the premises (NRS 118A.310) and the landlord keeps a right of entry with 24 hours’ notice (NRS 118A.330), and most Las Vegas leases require consent or a copy of the key. The safe path is written consent plus a rekey that keeps the landlord’s hardware.
Does a Las Vegas landlord have to change the locks for a new tenant?
NRS 118A.290, Nevada’s habitability list, covers doors and windows but does not specifically mention locks or rekeying between tenants. Ask for a rekey before you move in and get the answer in writing; many property managers on the east side do it as standard practice even though the statute does not require it.
Who pays for a lock change after domestic violence in Nevada?
Under NRS 118A.345(8), the tenant, cotenant or household member who requires the new lock pays for it. The landlord may rekey the existing lock or replace the mechanism with one of equal or superior quality, may keep a copy of the key, and must refuse a key to the adverse party.
My landlord changed the locks while I was at work. What now?
That is an unlawful lockout under NRS 118A.390 unless a court ordered it. File a verified complaint at your local Justice Court within 5 judicial days; the hearing is set within 3 judicial days. The Civil Law Self-Help Center in Las Vegas has the forms. A locksmith cannot let you back in over the landlord’s lock without the landlord’s or a court’s authority.
Will 24/7 Locksmith 4U LV rekey my apartment in Las Vegas?
Yes, with photo ID, proof that you live there, and the landlord’s consent when your lease requires it. The technician rekeys the existing cylinders so the old keys stop working, cuts new keys on site, and can match the new cylinder to the key management already holds.
This article describes Nevada statutes as published by the Nevada Legislature (NRS 118A.290, 118A.310, 118A.330, 118A.345 and 118A.390, read October 2026) and the Civil Law Self-Help Center’s guidance. It is general information, not legal advice; statutes change and leases differ, so confirm your own situation with the Self-Help Center or a Nevada attorney.