Standard household keys may soon be illegal in Minnesota.
Starting in July, keys for cars, houses, and boats will be illegal under Minnesota’s new statute, 325E.3892 LEAD AND CADMIUM IN CONSUMER PRODUCTS; PROHIBITION.
The new statute aims to ban everyday items containing a tiny percentage of lead and cadmium, which keys contain.
Many locksmiths have warned lawmakers that the new law will ban nearly all of their products because they contain more lead and cadmium than the state’s new 0.09% limit.
Rob Justen of Doyle Security Products stated, “Approximately 75 percent of all products that we stock have become prohibited for sale.”
Other locksmiths have warned that replacing the now-banned materials with aluminum or steel will make them too brittle and prone to rusting.
Lawmakers, businesses holding presser this AM calling on #mnleg to unlock a deal to tweak a recent toxic metals ban that key makers, boat/car industry say effectively outlaws keys in Minnesota.
Backers of change say there isn’t an alternative material. https://t.co/npoWir9fqi pic.twitter.com/MLC8Nrf0lM
— Torey Van Oot (@toreyvanoot) May 13, 2025
Per Reason:
Come July, common keys for houses, cars, boats, and motorcycles will be illegal in Minnesota, save for uncertain intervention from the state Legislature.
That’s when the state’s ban on the manufacture, sale, or import of keys, toys, dishes, and other common items containing more than a tiny percentage of lead or cadmium goes into effect.
The purpose of that law was to remove dangerous heavy metals from products that come into contact with children. The trouble is that almost all keys sold today have more lead than the new law’s 0.09 percent limit on lead content.
Locksmiths have been warning that the state’s lead ban will outlaw most of the products they sell. Alternative metals would require lengthy and expensive transition to using less functional materials, they say.
Just curious, how many Minnesotans have died of lead poisoning – just in general, not from lead in keys? #isthiswhatyouvotedfor https://t.co/jKmHHgj5es
— Jay (@twoviewsphoto) May 25, 2025
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