UofL Students and Staff: Car Lockouts and Lost Keys

Updated October 10, 2026 by the Louisville Car Key & Lockout editors. How we research.

Main campus

Belknap, south of downtown

Name on the title

Parents? Plan ahead

Busiest days

Game days and Derby week

Car key trouble near Belknap Campus has a few twists the rest of Louisville does not. The car may be titled to your parents in another state. It may be in a permit lot. And twice a year the streets around campus turn into a parking lot. Here is how to deal with each.

Proving the Car Is Yours When It Is Titled to Your Parents

A careful locksmith wants to see that you have the right to the car before making a key. That is a good thing. It also trips up students all the time.

• Carry your student ID and your driver's license.
• Keep a photo of the registration and insurance card on your phone. If the title is in a parent's name, that photo plus your matching last name and the insurance card listing you as a driver usually settles it.
• If your parent can be reached by phone, a quick call or a text with a photo of their ID often works.
• An out of state registration is fine. The car does not need Kentucky plates for a locksmith to help.

Lockouts on Campus

For a plain lockout, start with the free options in our lockout guide. Roadside help through your parents' insurance or AAA plan may cover you even though you are the one driving. A call home to ask costs nothing.

If you call a locksmith, give the garage or lot name and your level. Campus lots have permit rules, so tell the tech where they can legally stop while they work.

Game Days and Derby Week

Football Saturdays at the stadium and the run-up to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, just south of campus, pack the roads around Belknap. On those days a locksmith may take far longer to reach you, and some will add a trip charge. If you are safe and the car is not in a tow zone, it can be cheaper to wait until traffic clears.

Smart Money for Students

• Get a spare now. One spare made while you still have a working key costs a fraction of an all-keys-lost job. See spare keys.
• Buying a used car? Ask how many keys come with it. One key means you start out one lost key away from an expensive day.
• Do not lend your only fob. Roommate road trips are how fobs vanish.