Master Key System Design & Installation in Orlando, FL

Each door gets its own change key that opens only that door. Change keys are grouped under a master — say, one master for an entire floor or building — and the masters sit under a grand master that opens everything. A two-level version (change + master) fits small suites; three levels fit multi-building or multi-tenant properties.

Cylinders typically run $40–$90 each to pin into the system, plus a one-time planning charge that depends on the number of doors and levels. A small suite is a modest job; a multi-tenant building is usually phased — common areas and tenants first, the rest as doors come due.

Usually, if they share a keyway family — most commercial lever sets and cylinders from one manufacturer pin into a hierarchy without being replaced. Mixed brands across doors is the common snag: those locks either swap to the system keyway or stay outside the hierarchy. The door list settles it before any work starts.

Everything under it gets rekeyed — that is the honest trade-off for the access a master carries. Two things soften the blow: restricted keyways make unauthorized copies hard to come by in the first place, and a well-drawn chart means the rekey touches exactly the doors under the lost key — not the whole building.

Two levels are common for small suites — change keys plus one master. Three is the standard for multi-tenant or multi-building properties: change → master → grand master. Deeper hierarchies exist but trade security at every layer; the design step is where that balance is decided.

Restricted keyways: the blanks are not sold openly, so copies require a request to the locksmith who runs your system — your request. Combined with a key-holder log on the system chart, that is the practical control over who can duplicate what.