Office Move Checklist for Dallas: Locks, Keys & Access Control

I just finished a job for a marketing firm relocating from a 4-person suite in Deep Ellum to a 22-person office in Legacy West. They had three weeks to move. Their facility coordinator called me on day 14 in a mild panic — the lease said tenant was responsible for all interior locks and access control, and they hadn't priced any of it. We pulled it together, but it was tight, and 30% more expensive than it would have been with proper planning.

Here's the checklist I wish every Dallas company had before signing the lease — broken down by what to handle 6 weeks out, 2 weeks out, and on move-in day.

6 Weeks Before Move-In

This is when you set yourself up to not be scrambling later. Most landlords give you tenant improvement (TI) allowance or a buildout window — use it.

Get a real walkthrough with your locksmith

Have a commercial locksmith walk the new space with your facility manager and the building rep. We're looking at:

• How many exterior tenant doors you control vs. building common doors
• Existing lock condition and what conveys with the lease
• Suite-to-suite interior doors that need keying
• Server room, file room, executive office, and supply closet (these always need separate access)
• Existing access control panels — do they stay? Is the system serviceable?
• Door closers, panic hardware, ADA compliance on egress doors

A walkthrough costs $0–$150 in Dallas and saves enormous money down the line. Plan around what's actually there, not what you assume is there.

Decide on access control architecture

Three main options for a Dallas office:

• Mechanical master key system only. Cheapest. Works fine for offices under 15–20 people with low turnover. Total install cost: $400–$1,800 depending on door count. We cover this in detail on our master key system page.
• Cloud-based access control (Brivo, Kisi, Openpath, Verkada). Most popular for Dallas offices 15–100 people. Per-door hardware $800–$1,800; monthly subscription $15–$40 per door. Phone-based credentials, instant revocation, audit logs.
• Enterprise access control (S2, Genetec, Lenel). Larger offices, multi-site. $2,500+ per door, project-based pricing. Usually overkill unless you have 100+ employees or compliance requirements.

For most Dallas offices in the 15–60 employee range, cloud-based access control is the right answer. It scales, it's easy to manage from a phone, and you don't need to re-cut keys every time someone leaves.

Get quotes in writing for hardware

Don't assume the building's preferred vendor is the cheapest — they often aren't. Get at least two quotes for:

• New cylinders or rekey of existing locks
• Master key system design (CK / MK / GMK levels)
• Access control panels, readers, credentials
• Door reinforcement (strike plates, hinge screws, closers)
• Any panic hardware required by code on egress doors

2 Weeks Before Move-In

Now you're firming up details and scheduling actual install work.

Finalize the master key hierarchy

Even if you're going cloud-access on exteriors, you'll likely have mechanical locks on interior doors (offices, file rooms, supply closets). Decide who gets what:

• Change Key (CK): opens only one specific door. Most employees get one of these to their personal office.
• Master Key (MK): opens a department's worth of doors. Department heads typically.
• Grand Master Key (GMK): opens everything mechanical. Usually held by 2–3 people: facility manager, owner/CEO, IT lead.

Write the matrix down. Get sign-off from leadership before the keys are cut. Re-doing a master key system after the fact is expensive — typically $500–$1,500 to redesign and re-pin.

Order credentials

For cloud access control, decide on physical fobs/cards vs. mobile credentials:

• Mobile (phone-based): $0–$3 per user per month, no card to lose, instant provisioning
• Key fob: $5–$15 each, no monthly cost, easy for non-tech-savvy users
• ID badge with built-in credential: $8–$20 each, doubles as employee ID

For most Dallas offices we install, we go 80% mobile, 20% physical fobs for visitors and contractors.

Schedule the install for before move-in day

Hardware install on a fully populated office is painful for everyone. Get us in during the buildout phase or the weekend before move-in. A typical 6-door commercial install with cloud access takes 6–10 hours of on-site work — easier on a Saturday than during business hours Tuesday.

Move-In Day & Week One

Day 1: Verify everything works

Before the team arrives:

• Walk every door with your facility lead and the locksmith
• Test every credential against every door it should and shouldn't open
• Confirm audit logs are recording properly
• Make sure egress hardware (panic bars, magnetic locks) releases on power loss and fire alarm — this is a Dallas fire code requirement
• Document the master key matrix and store it somewhere secure

Week 1: Provision real users and audit

Get every employee credentialed. Issue change keys with sign-off. Audit who has what — this single step prevents 90% of access issues six months later.

Within 30 days: Schedule a security review

Once people have been using the space for a month, we come back and look at:

• Credentials issued vs. people actually present
• Doors being propped open (a sign hardware needs adjustment)
• Tailgating patterns (a sign you need a turnstile or vestibule)
• Any complaints from staff about door operation

A Real Dallas Office Move I Worked

Last fall, a fintech company moved from 8,000 sqft in Uptown to 14,000 sqft in Legacy West. 38 employees, 12 interior doors, 4 exterior tenant doors, a server room, and a SCIF (secure compartmented information facility) for one regulated workflow.

Total scope:

• Cloud access control on 4 exteriors + server room: 5 readers, $7,200 hardware + $230/month
• Master key system on 11 interior doors: $1,650 install
• High-security ASSA Abloy cylinder on the SCIF: $485 installed
• 38 mobile credentials provisioned + 8 fobs for visitors: included with subscription
• Door reinforcement on 4 exterior tenant doors: $640
• Total project: $9,975 + $230/month recurring

We did it across two weekends during the buildout phase. Move-in day was uneventful — the way it should be.

Common Mistakes I See on Dallas Office Moves

• Not budgeting for it. Owners assume the landlord covers it. The landlord usually doesn't.
• Using a residential locksmith for a commercial job. Different hardware, different code requirements, different scale. Always use a commercial locksmith for office work.
• Cheap key cylinders on important doors. Saving $40 on a server room cylinder is not where you should economize.
• No master key matrix written down. Two years later nobody remembers who has what.
• Forgetting egress code requirements. Dallas fire code requires free egress on all exit doors regardless of access control. Get this wrong and you fail inspection.
• Provisioning everyone as admin in the access platform. Audit logs become useless. Limit admin to 2–3 people.

Quick Cost Reference for Dallas Office Lock & Access Projects

| Project type | Typical Dallas range | |---|---| | Rekey 6-door office | $185–$385 | | Master key system, 8–12 doors | $850–$1,800 | | Cloud access control, 4 doors | $5,200–$9,500 + monthly | | Cloud access control, 10 doors | $11,000–$18,000 + monthly | | Server room hardening | $385–$850 per door | | Panic hardware on egress doors | $385–$1,200 per door |

Final Thought

Office moves are stressful enough without the locks and access being a last-minute scramble. Get a real walkthrough six weeks out, lock in your access architecture early, and use the buildout phase to get hardware installed before the team arrives. Your move-in day should be about people unpacking — not techs drilling cylinders.

If you're planning an office move anywhere in Dallas, Plano, Frisco, or Legacy West, we do free pre-move walkthroughs. The earlier we're involved, the smoother (and cheaper) it goes.