Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Rekey Locks Across Novato
Rekeying a lock in Novato typically runs $95 to $180 per lock for standard residential hardware, and a full house with three to five locks usually lands between $240 and $520, parts and labor included. We dispatch local technicians to every Novato neighborhood, from Hamilton to Pleasant Valley to the hills above San Marin, and we quote the full price on the phone before anyone rolls a van. Call (956) 275-7388 and you’ll get a live person, a written price, and a tech in a marked uniform, not a subcontractor in an unmarked truck.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is Novato’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Novato homeowners tell us the same thing on call after call: they’ve been burned by a locksmith who quoted one number on the phone and a different one at the door. We don’t operate that way. Ridley Locksmith & Security has been part of the Garrison Partners family since 2007, and every job we run in Novato is held to The Garrison Standard – a written code that covers pricing, conduct, and workmanship. That means a written price delivered before any work starts, every time, and a written guarantee covering the repair for one full year.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed on every call. You know exactly who’s walking up your driveway, and you know the price before they touch a lock. Drew Kowalski leads our team with one standing rule: if a Novato customer calls back inside that year with a rekey failure, we return at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s not a verbal assurance. It’s a document.
Key Takeaways
- Written price quoted on the phone, before dispatch, on every Novato job
- Background-checked, uniformed technicians – never subcontractors
- 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every rekey for one full year
- Live person answers calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Trained on Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, Baldwin, Medeco, and Mul-T-Lock hardware
Keyed Alike in Novato
Keyed alike in Novato means every lock cylinder on your property is pinned so a single key turns them all – front door, back door, garage entry, side gate, storage room. For a Novato homeowner, this usually comes up after moving into a new house on the west side near Marinwood, or after a rental turnover on a Hamilton condo, when three doors currently need three different keys and everyone in the household is tired of fumbling at the front step. The job runs $95 to $180 per lock cylinder depending on brand and condition, with a standard three-lock house landing between $240 and $400.
Typical keyed alike scenario in Novato
The most common call we get is a house with two Schlage deadbolts and one Kwikset entry set. The tech pulls each cylinder, rekeys the internal pins to match one key code, reassembles, tests each lock, and hands over a matched set of keys plus one spare. It’s not a hardware replacement. The locks stay in place. Only the internal pin stacks change.
Rekey Deadbolt in Novato
Rekey deadbolt in Novato means changing the internal pin and tumbler stack so old keys stop working, while the deadbolt hardware stays on the door. This is the single most requested service we run in Novato, and it typically costs $95 to $160 per deadbolt for standard Schlage or Kwikset hardware, with high-security cylinders like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock running higher because the pin stacks and key blanks cost more. Most single-family homes in Novato have two or three deadbolts, so a complete rekey usually falls between $190 and $450.
Old key stopped turning? Read this first
If a deadbolt in a 1960s ranch near San Marin Drive has started binding, the old pins may be worn, or the lock has been rekeyed so many times that the pin stack heights no longer line up cleanly. We diagnose that before quoting, because a rekey on a worn cylinder can fail inside a month. If the cylinder is shot, we’ll tell you on the phone and walk through the cost difference so there’s no surprise at the door.
Trusted Brands We Service in Novato
Our Novato techs work on standard residential hardware like Schlage and Kwikset every day, and they’re certified on high-security lines including Medeco and Mul-T-Lock. That matters in Novato because the housing stock splits hard: the 1950s and 60s ranch tracts in Hamilton and Pleasant Valley are full of builder-grade Kwikset deadbolts, while the newer wine-country estates up toward Indian Valley carry Baldwin and Medeco cylinders. We keep common pin kits on the truck for both ends of that range, so most rekeys in Novato happen in a single visit, no ordering parts days out.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Novato Homes
- Mismatched cylinders on one property. A 1968 Hamilton ranch may have three different lock brands across front door, back door, and garage. Rekeying them all to one key takes matching pin depths across incompatible cylinder generations, which is exactly the kind of job that goes sideways in the hands of an inexperienced tech.
- Old hardware that won’t hold a fresh rekey. Novato’s dry summer heat and wet winter cycles don’t hurt lock bodies, but the brass pins inside older cylinders wear down over decades. When a pin stack has been rekeyed too many times, the new key binds and fails within weeks. We tell you if that’s the case before we turn any pins.
- Tenant turnovers and vacation rentals in Novato. Landlords and property managers around downtown Novato and near Novato High School need old keys dead fast when a tenant moves out. Our response time to central Novato is typically 60 to 90 minutes during business hours, and a live person answers the phone at 2 a.m. if it can’t wait.
- Low-quality rekey work that fails inside a month. We see locks that were rekeyed by someone who swapped pins of slightly wrong depths to save time. The cylinder works for a few weeks, then the key starts sticking. If that happens on our work, the 365-Day Done Right Promise means we return and fix it free. But we also fix other shops’ failed work and bring it in line.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Novato, CA
Here’s what a rekey costs in Novato, without games. A single standard deadbolt or entry knob rekey runs $95 to $160. A house with three locks typically lands between $240 and $420, depending on brand and cylinder condition. A high-security Medeco or Mul-T-Lock rekey starts around $150 per cylinder and goes up from there because the specialty key blanks and tighter pin tolerances cost more. We quote by lock count and brand on the phone, and that’s the number on your invoice. Every Novato customer gets a free second visit if the rekey fails inside one year, automatically included in writing. There’s no call-out surcharge added when the tech arrives.
We Also Serve Cities Near Novato
Our Rekey Locks crew regularly runs jobs in Fairfax, San Anselmo, Petaluma, and San Rafael, all along the Highway 101 corridor. If you’re outside Novato proper but close, call and we’ll tell you honestly whether we’re the right fit for your location and timing. And Novato remains the heart of our Marin County service area.
Serving Novato, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Novato area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Rekey Locks in Novato
The price we quote on the phone is the price on your invoice. Period. We ask for the number of locks, the brand, and the cylinder type, then we issue a written price before anyone is dispatched. When the tech arrives in Novato, that number doesn’t move. No “discovered” surcharges, no padding for worn pins. Call (956) 275-7388 and we’ll walk through it lock by lock.
Usually yes, we can rekey an old Kwikset deadbolt in Hamilton without replacing anything. The internal pin stack gets swapped, your old keys stop working, and the hardware stays on the door. But if the cylinder has been drilled, picked, or rekeyed so many times that the pin chambers are out of spec, we’ll tell you on the phone before you spent a dime. The price difference between a rekey and a cylinder replacement depends on the hardware, and we’ll quote both before dispatch.
Keyed alike means all three doors use the same key. Our tech pulls each cylinder, rekeys the pins to a single matching code, and hands you one key that works everywhere plus a spare. For a Novato ranch with a Schlage front door, a Kwikset back door, and a garage entry, we handle the cross-brand pin work on site. It costs the same per lock as a standard rekey: $95 to $180 per cylinder depending on brand.
If your Novato home still has an old Kwikset deadbolt from the 1960s or 70s, a bump-resistant or ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt is a real upgrade. We can rekey your existing lock and quote the hardware upgrade separately so you decide with numbers in hand. High-security cylinders from Medeco or Mul-T-Lock offer stronger key control and pick resistance, and our techs are certified to install and rekey them. You’ll get the price before we start.
When our tech arrives in Novato, they’ll be in a marked uniform with Ridley Locksmith & Security identification. If you want more verification, call the number you dialed and our dispatch will confirm the tech’s name and vehicle. We dispatch from our San Francisco Bay Area office, and every tech on a Novato job is a background-checked employee of Ridley, not a subcontractor. You’ll know who’s at your door before you open it.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, serving Novato under The Garrison Standard since 2007.