Locked Out of Your Car in Waterloo or Cedar Falls

You get back into your car, SUV or pickup when the keys are locked in it. Have an ID ready that matches the name on the registration; if the registration is inside, you show it after the door opens.

The University of Northern Iowa requires a parking permit in its lots at all times, except at the meters. Visitors can use the meters, from $1.00 an hour. They are enforced on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., except at the Gallagher-Bluedorn, where enforcement ends at 6 p.m. An expired meter is a $20 ticket under the 2026-27 rules. An overnight visitor needs a courtesy permit from UNI Public Safety and has to be in a C or R lot between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m.

So a lockout on campus can come with a clock attached. Name the lot when you call, and say if you are at a meter. UNI can also tow or impound a car, at the owner's expense and without notice, once it has five unpaid citations or $50 in unpaid penalties.

Under the rules in force since May 2025, downtown Waterloo's parking is enforced Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each plate gets one warning per fiscal year. After that, a ticket costs $15 if paid within 30 days ($20 later). A car that stays in violation more than four hours in a day draws $30 ($35 later).

At Waterloo Regional Airport's close-in lot, the first three hours are free. A lockout there that is sorted quickly costs you only the lockout.

Try every door and the trunk release first, since one of them is sometimes still open. If a child or a pet is shut inside, call 911 right away, before any roadside call. Otherwise call (319) 271-6565 with the address or the lot, and the make, model and color of the car so it is easy to find. We give you the lockout price and the timing while you are still on the line.

We open a car, SUV or pickup with the keys locked inside. Cutting or programming a new key is not part of the service. If your keys are lost rather than locked in, tell us at the start of the call, and we can quote a tow instead.