Cost to Rekey Locks in Los Angeles: $19-$29 Per Cylinder, With Most Homes Running $89-$175 Total
Rekeying a standard Kwikset or Schlage deadbolt in Los Angeles runs between $19 and $29 per cylinder, and most single-family homes with two to three entry doors pay $89 to $175 total when we handle it. That includes removing the cylinder, repinning it to a new key code, cutting fresh keys, and testing every lock before we leave. Call (877) 664-8139 and we will quote your exact price before the truck rolls - the same flat price you will see on the invoice.
We have been doing this work across Los Angeles County for over 42 years, and the question we hear most often is not whether to rekey - it is why one company quotes $45 and another quotes $200 for what sounds like the same job. The difference usually comes down to whether you are talking to a locksmith who plans to be in business next year, or a dispatcher sitting in another state who will send whoever answers their gig app.
Why Rekeying Costs Vary So Much in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is not a uniform market for lock work. The same rekeying job takes twice as long in a 1920s Highland Park bungalow with original mortise hardware as it does in a 2019 ADU in Mar Vista with a standard Kwikset SmartKey cylinder. We have to source obsolete parts for those older Craftsman locksets, or machine adapters when the original manufacturer stopped production decades ago. That time and material shows up in an honest quote. The $19-ad locksmiths do not mention this until they are standing on your porch.
Then there is the rental market. Los Angeles has an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 dingbat apartment buildings from the 1950s through 1970s, many running aging master-key systems in Koreatown, Hollywood, and along the Fairfax corridor. Property managers rekey between tenants constantly, and some of those master systems have been repinned so many times the cylinders are worn thin. We see this weekly. A straightforward rekey becomes a cylinder replacement, and a flat price quoted on the phone protects both of us from surprises.
The coastal climate matters too. The marine layer and salt air in Venice, Mar Vista, Playa del Rey, and Westchester corrode lock cylinders faster than inland neighborhoods just ten miles east. Corroded pins stick, springs weaken, and what should be a clean rekey turns into a rebuild. We check for this before we quote, because “Tell me what you need. We will give you a price before we move, and we will stand behind the work when it is done.”
What You Actually Pay: Rekeying Price Breakdown
| Service | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Standard deadbolt rekey (Kwikset, Schlage) | $19 - $29 per cylinder |
| High-security cylinder rekey (Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy) | $35 - $65 per cylinder |
| Most Los Angeles homes (2-3 entry doors) | $89 - $175 total |
| Obsolete mortise lockset rekey (1920s-1940s hardware) | $75 - $150 per lock |
| Master key system rekey (apartment/duplex) | $45 - $85 per cylinder |
| Service call / trip charge (included in most quotes) | $0 - $35 |
| Additional keys cut | $3 - $8 each |
Our 90-Day Done Right Promise covers every rekeying job in writing. If a cylinder binds, a key sticks, or something just does not feel right, we come back. No paperwork to file, no argument, no charge.
Common Scenarios We Handle in Los Angeles
These are the situations that bring Los Angeles homeowners to call us, and what each typically costs:
- New home purchase in Los Feliz or Silver Lake. You have no idea who has keys to your 1936 Spanish Colonial. Two original deadbolts and a side-entry mortise lock: usually $140-$220 to rekey everything to one fresh key.
- ADU completion in your backyard. State law has LA issuing more ADU permits than any U.S. city - over 20,000 per year at peak. Your new unit needs its own key system, separate from the main house. We typically install a Schlage or Kwikset on the ADU and rekey the main house, running $120-$250 total depending on smart-lock integration.
- Post-divorce or roommate departure. One front door, one deadbolt, immediate need: $89-$115 including fresh keys.
- Dingbat apartment turnover. Property managers in Hollywood or Koreatown call us between tenants. Rekeying a standard two-door unit runs $75-$140; master-key systems take longer and cost more per cylinder.
- After a soft-story seismic retrofit. LA’s mandatory retrofit ordinance affected roughly 13,500 buildings, and the structural work routinely shifted door frames out of plumb. We spent years in the Fairfax corridor adjusting strikes and realigning deadbolts that would not throw fully after the contractors left. Sometimes a rekey turns into frame work first.
How Rekeying Works: A Three-Step Process
We have found that homeowners who understand the actual process worry less about the price. Here is what happens when we arrive:
- We examine every lock and quote before touching tools. Our technician checks brand, condition, and any corrosion or wear that would affect the job. You get a flat price. If a cylinder needs replacement instead of rekeying, we tell you then, not after we have it apart.
- We remove, repin, and reassemble each cylinder. The old key pins come out; new pins go in matching your new key code. We test the new key, test the old key to confirm it no longer works, and lubricate the mechanism.
- We cut keys on-site and demonstrate everything. You receive two keys per lock standard, with additional keys cut while you wait. We make sure every lock operates smoothly before we pack up.
Gil Navarro, who leads Strongbox Lock & Safe Co., learned this trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, where a night-class instructor told him that a locksmith’s real job is making people feel safe again. That was nearly three decades ago, and it is still the standard we hold every technician to.
Rekeying vs. Replacing: When to Choose What
Rekeying is the right call when your locks are in good mechanical condition and you simply need to control who has access. It costs roughly one-third to one-half of full lock replacement. We recommend replacement when cylinders are corroded beyond reliable function, when you want to upgrade to high-security hardware like Medeco or Abloy, or when a Santa Ana wind season has shrunk your old wooden door frame so badly the deadbolt no longer aligns with the strike.
For homeowners in their fifties, sixties, or seventies who have been in the same house for twenty years and plan to stay, we often suggest rekeying now and budgeting for a hardware upgrade in five to ten years. Done right, a quality Schlage or Baldwin deadbolt will outlast the rekeying cycle several times over.
FAQs
Standard rekeying runs $19-$29 per cylinder, with most Los Angeles homes paying $89-$175 total for two to three entry doors. High-security cylinders like Medeco or Abloy cost $35-$65 each. Call (877) 664-8139 for a flat quote on your specific locks - estimates are free.
Rekeying is almost always cheaper, typically one-third to one-half the cost of new hardware installation. Replace instead when cylinders are corroded, when upgrading to high-security locks, or when door frames have shifted and the deadbolt no longer throws cleanly. We will tell you honestly which path makes sense after we see the lock.
Yes. We carry full pinning kits for Kwikset, Schlage, Baldwin, Yale, and most high-security brands on every truck, and we answer calls live 24/7. Most rekeying appointments in Los Angeles happen within two to four hours of your call.
You need to control who has access, which rekeying accomplishes at lower cost than replacement. In older neighborhoods like Highland Park or Echo Park, where original mortise hardware is common, we often rekey what is there and discuss upgrade options separately. For newer homes or ADUs, rekeying is straightforward and immediate.
Ready for a Flat Price on Your Rekey?
We have served Los Angeles communities for over 42 years with background-checked, uniformed technicians who show ID at every door, flat prices quoted before any work begins, and a written 90-Day Done Right Promise on every job. No voicemail trees, no bait-and-switch, no surprises on the invoice. Call (877) 664-8139 now for your free estimate - a live person will answer, day or night.
Written by Gil Navarro, Owner, Strongbox Lock & Safe Co. at Strongbox Lock & Safe Co., serving Los Angeles, CA.