If you have an electric garage door opener on your garage door, it’s not necessary to have a lock.

Electric openers function as the lock, making it improbable that an intruder would be able to lift your door from the outside. The Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA), the trade association for the garage door industry, discourages homeowners from attaching a lock when an opener has been installed, because too frequently, a child or other family member will accidentally lock the door.

If someone then tries to open the door using the electric opener, the opener will pull against the lock causing the door to be damaged. If an opener is not installed on your door, you should have a lock installed.