Construction Keying: Builder Keys and Move-In Rekeys
Construction keying lets builders use one key across many new homes, then retire that access when the owner moves in. Small balls, wafers, or spacers in pin stacks accept a construction bitting until the homeowner's key captures the spacers in extra plug holes on first use.
Schlage and other brands drill dedicated construction holes in plugs for this purpose — common in subdivision rollouts where carpenters and painters need repeated entry.
How Construction Keying Works
Construction keys align pins with spacers included. When the owner key turns, spacers ride into side chambers milled in the plug, changing the effective bitting so the construction key no longer operates. One visit rekeys every cylinder in the door without disassembly.
Field Use
General contractors distribute a neighborhood master during framing and finish work. Homeowners receive permanent keys at closing. Locksmiths verify construction elements are fully captured during first owner operation.
Security Risks
Measuring owner key depths plus spacer thickness can reveal construction bitting. Attackers who understand the builder's pinning chart may derive keys that still open sibling homes — a known concern in large tracts using identical pinning.
Relation to Master Keying
Construction keying is temporary hierarchy, not ongoing master systems. See master keying and rekeying for permanent commercial hierarchies.
Locksmith Practice
Technicians confirm spacer capture after closing, replace cores if construction keys circulate too long, and document when subdivisions share bitting patterns that warrant post-move rekeys.