High-Security Locks in Tampa: Pick, Bump & Copy Resistance

The American National Standard for high-security cylinders is ANSI/BHMA A156.30. Its 2025 edition covers mechanical cylinders, electromechanical cylinders and electronic lock subassemblies, and it tests them in three categories (BHMA):

Each category gets its own level, A, B or C, with C the highest, and a full rating names the cylinder's grade plus its level in each of the three categories. The other standard you'll see is UL 437, the Standard for Key Locks, which covers door locks and locking cylinders among other key locks; its latest revision is dated January 31, 2023 (UL Standards). When a lock is sold as high-security, ask which standard it was tested to, and at what level.

A “Do Not Duplicate” stamp asks whoever runs the key machine not to copy the key. It can't make them, and most hardware stores can copy a standard key.

The key blank is the control point: restricted and patented blanks aren't sold to copy shops, so every new key goes through an authorized dealer and the owner's sign-off. Mul-T-Lock's MTL800 platform, for example, uses a key-cutting control card: Mul-T-Lock says its certified key-cutting procedure works only when the original magnetic card is presented to an authorized Mul-T-Lock dealer who has a KC5 key-cutting machine (Mul-T-Lock).

The payoff is a key count you can trust: new keys don't get cut without your sign-off. That matters most when keys go to people outside the household, like housekeepers, contractors, tenants or staff.

Lock packaging often says “bump proof,” “pick resistant” or “drill resistant.” Those words describe the manufacturer's design, and the design may be a good one, but on their own they don't say which test a lock passed or at what level. A rating does: it names the standard, such as ANSI/BHMA A156.30 or UL 437, and the level reached. If the packaging names neither, ask the seller what the lock was tested to.

Want to see what's inside a standard lock? Our 3D walkthrough shows how a pin-tumbler lock works.

Often, if your worry is forced entry rather than copied keys. BHMA grades hardware 1, 2 or 3 against the performance benchmarks in each standard, with grade 1 the highest (BHMA). For homes, BHMA also publishes a residential deadbolt standard, A156.40, with seventeen tests, including one that loads the door against the deadbolt with 1,350 pounds of force, and it checks corrosion resistance with a salt-spray test to ASTM B117 (BHMA).

That salt-spray test matters here. Homes closer to the bay get more salt air than inland streets, and their exterior deadbolts can stiffen sooner. The Grade 1 commercial-rated deadbolts we install on homes are meaningfully harder to kick or drill than builder-grade hardware, and the strike the bolt locks into needs to be just as solid. For the rest of the door, see our deadbolt basics.

Rekeying is a separate fix. It stops old keys from working, but it doesn't make the lock any stronger (see rekey or replace your locks). So when the worry is force and old keys, a strong deadbolt plus a rekey is often enough. High-security cylinders earn their place when the worry is who has keys, and who could get more.

Match the hardware to what you're actually worried about:

All three are high-security lines, and we install all three on South Tampa homes, including in Palma Ceia and along Bayshore. We don't rank them; the right one depends on your door and how you want keys handled. Compare them on:

• The key-control program. Who can order more keys, and what they have to show. Mul-T-Lock's MTL800 uses the control card described above, and Medeco describes its products as high-security door locks with patent-protected keys (Medeco). Ask how the system you're considering handles new keys, and who holds the authorization.
• The door and the lock on it now. Some locks can take a new high-security cylinder; others are better replaced. A photo of the door edge and the lock tells us which.
• The other doors. Not every door needs high-security keys. A home might put only the front entry on them, and a business or rental can save them for the doors that matter most.
• Finish. Match the hardware you have, and favor finishes that stand up to salt air if you're near the bay.

• The front entry, the door most people have a key to.
• Homes where keys go to other people: housekeepers, nannies, contractors, pool and lawn crews, or renters. With restricted keys, the ones you hand out can't be copied at a hardware store or kiosk.
• Offices and rentals with turnover, where keys change hands often. See restricted keys for a whole building or rental.
• Businesses with access control: card and fob readers handle the doors people use all day, and keyed cylinders stay on as overrides. See access control for offices.
• Larger properties with guest houses, detached garages and service entrances, like the estate homes in Avila.

Want keyless entry as well? Many keypad and smart locks keep a key cylinder as a backup; see our guide to smart locks with a keyed backup and our keypad and smart lock installs.

The Locksmith Shop's counter at 4556 S Manhattan Ave, Tampa, FL 33611 takes walk-ins Monday through Saturday, 8am to 8pm, and is closed Sunday. Bring a photo of the door edge and the lock, tell us who has keys today, and we'll lay out the options, from a rekey to a high-security cylinder, before you buy anything.

Quotes are free, and you'll have the price before any work begins. We're bonded and insured, every technician is background-checked, and we work in English or Spanish. Nearby? See our South Tampa shop, or our page for Palma Ceia homes.