# Lockpicking Building Doors

> Some doors are locked. With a lockpick and a skill check, you can open them anyway. Police HQ, business backrooms, gang stash houses — all potentially crackable.

![Screenshot: a player lockpicking a building's front door](../screenshots/09-vehicles/lockpick-building-door.png)
*Screenshot needed: a player crouched at a building door with the timing wheel up.*

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## What this covers

`ox_doorlock` is the system that manages building doors. It controls:

- Which doors are locked
- Who can open them legitimately (job, gang, item)
- Whether they can be lockpicked
- Per-door difficulty

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## Door types in the world

| Type | Auto-unlock for | Lockpickable |
|---|---|---|
| Police HQ entry | police job | Yes (high difficulty) |
| Hospital | ems job, civilians | Usually unlocked |
| Bank vault | bank robbery participant | Yes (requires thermite or boss key) |
| Gang stash house | owning gang | Yes (medium) |
| Business backroom | owner / employees | Yes (varies) |
| Apartment doors | resident | Yes (low) |
| Random shops | open hours | Auto-unlocks during hours |

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## How to lockpick a door

1. Approach the locked door
2. Have a **lockpick** item in your inventory (some doors require `advancedlockpick`)
3. Use the lockpick (item action OR ox_target prompt)
4. Animation plays — your character works the lock
5. **Skill check minigame** appears
6. Hit the green segment
7. Success → door unlocks for ~15 seconds
8. You can walk through

> ⚠️ **The door auto-locks after the window.** Don't dawdle.

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## Difficulty by door type

Different doors have different lockpick difficulties (configured per door):

| Door | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Apartment / cheap front door | Easy (1 attempt, generous timing) |
| Convenience store backroom | Easy-medium |
| Bank front door (during off-hours) | Medium-hard |
| Police HQ | Hard (requires advanced lockpick) |
| Bank vault | Very hard, often requires thermite item |
| Server-marked "unbreachable" doors | Cannot be lockpicked |

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## Tools beyond lockpick

Some doors need more than a lockpick:

- **Thermite** — used on heavy security doors (bank vaults, evidence rooms). Uses a separate "drilling/setting" minigame
- **Bolt cutters** — for chained gates (varies by server)
- **Boss key** — owned by job leaders, auto-opens job doors
- **Code / keypad** — some doors need a numerical code (typed in, no lockpick)

These tools are usually NOT included in vanilla pug; they may be added via separate resources.

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## Cop attention

Lockpicking buildings is loud-ish:

- Visible lockpicking animation
- Nearby NPCs may notice
- Police patrols passing by may engage
- Cameras (if installed) may capture you

Cop alert chance varies by:

- Time of day (night = quieter)
- Zone heat (high heat = more cops)
- Proximity to police patrols

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## Authorized access vs lockpicking

If you're **authorized** for a door (job, gang member, owner):

- Walk up → door auto-unlocks
- No skill check
- No item required
- No cop attention

This is by design — give legitimate users priority access. Lockpicking is the criminal alternative.

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## When doors lock

Doors usually:

- **Permanent locked** — always locked, requires lockpick or auth
- **Time-based** — unlocked during business hours, locked after
- **Player-controlled** — owners can lock/unlock via ox_target

Some servers add "key items" — a specific key item unlocks a specific door.

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## Tips

- **Practice on easy doors first.** Apartments are forgiving
- **Don't lockpick in front of NPCs.** They may report you
- **Bring spare lockpicks.** Hard doors may fail several times
- **Coordinate with gang.** One picks while another watches for cops
- **The advanced lockpick is worth it** for hard doors — fewer attempts

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## Common questions

**Why won't my lockpick work?**
- Wrong tool (advanced lockpick may be required)
- Door is set to "unbreachable" by admin
- You're not facing the door correctly
- Skill check failed (try again)

**Can I lockpick locked vehicle doors with this?**
Yes — same item, same minigame. See [breaking-in.md](breaking-in.md).

**Does the building owner get notified?**
Not by default. Some doors broadcast to the owner job (police HQ alerts police), but most don't.

**Can I lockpick a door multiple players use?**
Yes. The door re-locks after ~15s — anyone in that window can pass through.

**What about pickpocketing access cards?**
Pickpocket may grant access items in some configs (specific access cards). Check item descriptions.

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## Related

- [breaking-in.md](breaking-in.md) — vehicle lockpicking
- [../10-interface/skill-checks.md](../10-interface/skill-checks.md) — the lockpick minigame
- [../05-crime-loops/raid-contracts.md](../05-crime-loops/raid-contracts.md) — heavy doors at raid sites