Legal stuff

[mmilitiar]

Im 16, is it illegal for me to open peoples doors for money? and on the topic, how do I go about letting people know I pick locks, without drawing the wrong types of attention/being considered a burglar?

I would only do it once in a while for some extra cash, my real buisness(lol, kinda...) is "fixing" peoples guns.

[Varjeal]

Get a business license and meet the criteria your state requires for ownership and operation of a business. Then advertise.

Problem solved.

[CapnCurry]

Varjeal's spot on. This is the kind of business that you really don't want to run unofficially. Your customers will want to see "licensed, bonded, insured" when you offer to do that kind of work, and most likely, so will the local authorities.

Best way to go is to make sure that you're very loud and very clear about what you propose to do with peoples' locks, and why you're qualified to do it. If you're not ready for that kind of attention (and there's nothing wrong with that; I was picking locks for five years before I even dreamed of offering to do it for someone else), best to keep it to yourself as an enjoyable hobby.

[mmilitiar]

i didnt mean like a job, just every so often to pay for new locks.

[CapnCurry]

i didnt mean like a job, just every so often to pay for new locks.

Well, IANAL, and the laws are different for every state in the U.S. (and every country in the world), but generally, you're facing down two problems.

1. If you're going to be in posession of the "implements of burglary" known as lock picks, you'll need some sort of license or other justification to carry them safely.

2. If you're going to offer and charge for a service, you are a business - period. People with enough time on their hands have, sadly, shut down childrens' lemonade stands in past. It's much more likely that people will get nervous enough to find the time to make your life harder if you're working with locks... better to be as above board as you can get.

The alternative is to try and fly under everyone's radar except your customers'. Again, IANAL, but that's exactly the kind of grey area you don't want to be in when you're working with locks and picks, in the same way you don't want to be caught speeding when you're without your driving license.

My advice - and I hope I don't have to repeat the IANAL disclaimer at this point, but there ya go - if you're planning on doing this at all, even for one person, go out and get the requisite licensing for business and make sure you comply with all laws regulating professional lock pickery.