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 Pasadena
Rekeying locks in Pasadena typically costs $95 to $180 for a standard cylinder and takes 30 to 60 minutes on site, with most calls completed same day. If you have one of the city’s many pre-1940 Craftsman or Spanish Colonial homes with original mortise locks, the job takes longer and runs $140 to $240 per cylinder because the lock body has to come apart on a workbench, not in the door. We serve every Pasadena neighborhood from Bungalow Heaven to Madison Heights, and we agree on the price before anyone gets in a van. Call (956) 275-7388 for a written quote.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is Pasadena’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Ridley Locksmith & Security operates under The Garrison Standard, a written code that every technician on every job is held to. That means the person who shows up at your Pasadena door is background-checked, uniformed, and has already been given your address and the price you agreed to on the phone. No subcontractors. No unmarked vans. No price that shifts when the tech gets a look at the lock.
Our Rekey Locks team has worked on original mortise locks in Bungalow Heaven, Spanish Colonials in Prospect Park, and mid-century homes in Hastings Ranch. We know the difference between a Schlage deadbolt on a 2005 tract house and a 1920s mortise cylinder with an oval brass faceplate. That local knowledge matters because the tools, pin kits, and bench time are not the same.
Drew Kowalski, who leads our Pasadena work, sets one rule for every call: the written price is the invoice price. If the work fails inside one full year, we return free under the 365-Day Done Right Promise, backed by a written guarantee on every job. A live person answers our phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Locksmith Rekey in Pasadena
Locksmith rekey in Pasadena means changing the internal pins inside a lock cylinder so the old keys stop turning and a fresh set works instead. Unlike replacing the hardware, a rekey keeps the existing lock body, faceplate, and door finish intact, which matters a lot on a 1923 Craftsman where the original brass is part of the house. A standard cylinder rekey in Pasadena runs $95 to $180; an original mortise cylinder that needs bench work runs $140 to $240.
Mortise Cylinder Bench Work
Many Pasadena homes built before 1940 still have original mortise locks, especially in the Bungalow Heaven and Prospect Park historic districts. The cylinder threads into a rectangular lock body mortised into the door edge. To rekey it properly, we pull the cylinder, re-pin it on a bench with the correct pin kit, and reinstall it without stripping the 80-to-100-year-old brass screws holding the faceplate. This is not a hardware-store shelf fix and it is not a job for a power driver.
Matching Multiple Locks to One Key
When a Pasadena homeowner has a mortise lock in the front door and a Schlage deadbolt above it, we can key both to one key. We re-pin each cylinder to the same keyway and depth, then test the key in both locks before we leave. You hand over one key instead of a ring.
Rekey Door Lock in Pasadena
Rekey door lock in Pasadena is what most homeowners actually need after buying a house, losing a key, or ending a tenancy. We change the pins inside the existing lock cylinder so previous keys stop working, and we do it without replacing hardware that is still in good shape. A single standard deadbolt rekey in Pasadena runs $95 to $150; a mortise lock rekey on an older home runs $140 to $240 based on the bench time involved.
After a Key Change or Move-In
When you close on a Pasadena house, you do not actually know who holds copies of the existing keys. A previous owner, a contractor, a housekeeper, a neighbor. Rekeying means none of those keys work anymore. We rekey every cylinder on the property in one visit and hand you a written record of which keys now operate which locks.
Lost Key or Security Concern
If a key is lost and you cannot rule out who found it, rekeying is the responsible move. We come out, re-pin the affected lock or every lock on the property, and you get new keys on the spot. The price is agreed before dispatch, not discovered when the tech arrives.
Trusted Brands We Service in Pasadena
We work on the hardware Pasadena homes actually have installed. Kwikset and Schlage deadbolts are the most common on newer and mid-century homes across the city. Yale and Baldwin show up on higher-end properties and older homes where the original hardware was worth keeping. We also service Medeco and Mul-T-Lock high-security cylinders for Pasadena Commercial Locksmith clients and homeowners who want key control that cannot be copied at a hardware store. We stock common pin kits and tailpieces for these brands on our service vehicles, so a rekey on a Kwikset deadbolt in Pasadena usually finishes in one trip without us running for parts.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Pasadena Homes
- Original mortise cylinders that get bench time quoted wrong. A dispatcher quotes a flat rate sight unseen, then the tech finds a 1920s mortise lock on a Bungalow Heaven Craftsman and the price changes at the door. We ask about the door hardware on the phone and quote the mortise rate up front when it applies.
- Cylinders re-pinned to the wrong keyway. A tech uses an incompatible pin kit and the customer’s existing Kwikset or Schlage keys stop working on some doors but not others, or the new keys bind in the cylinder after a few weeks. We match keyway and depth exactly and test every lock before we leave.
- Stripped screws and cracked faceplates on old brass. Using a power driver on 80-to-100-year-old brass fasteners is a fast way to turn a rekey into a door-hardware replacement the customer never asked for. We use hand tools on original mortise hardware and do not touch the faceplate or escutcheon beyond what the rekey requires.
- Mixed key profiles on one property. A prior owner added a deadbolt that does not match the original mortise lock keyway, so the new owner carries two keys for one door. We re-pin both cylinders to one key and match the tailpiece so both turn together.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Pasadena, CA
A standard cylinder rekey in Pasadena runs $95 to $180 per lock, depending on cylinder type and the number of locks on the job. Original mortise cylinders on pre-1940 homes run $140 to $240 because the cylinder comes out of the lock body and gets re-pinned on a bench. High-security cylinders from Medeco or Mul-T-Lock run higher due to proprietary pin kits. The price we give you on the phone is the price on the invoice. There is no call-out surcharge added on arrival and no line item that appears after the work is done. We dispatch to all Pasadena neighborhoods including Bungalow Heaven, Prospect Park, Madison Heights, and Hastings Ranch. Call (956) 275-7388 for a written quote before anyone is dispatched.
We Also Serve Cities Near Pasadena
Our Pasadena crews also cover the surrounding area, including San Marino, South Pasadena, Altadena, and San Gabriel. The same written price and 365-Day Done Right Promise apply. Call (956) 275-7388 from anywhere in the San Gabriel Valley and we will route the nearest Ridley technician to you.
A Note on Pasadena’s Older Locks
Pasadena has one of California’s highest concentrations of pre-1940 Craftsman and Spanish Colonial homes, especially in the Bungalow Heaven and Prospect Park historic districts. Most rekey calls here involve original mortise lock cylinders with oval brass faceplates rather than modern cylindrical deadbolts. That changes the job. The cylinder has to come out of the door, be re-pinned on a bench with the correct pin kit, and go back in without stripping brass screws that have been in that door since Herbert Hoover was president. Replacement mortise cylinders in the original footprint are not a hardware-store shelf item in most parts of the city. A tech who has never worked on one will quote a deadbolt price, then discover the mortise lock, then change the price at your door. We quote the mortise rate on the phone when you tell us what the door looks like.
We got a call from a new owner on North Marengo Avenue in Bungalow Heaven who had one key for a 1923 Craftsman with an original mortise lock in the front door and a Schlage deadbolt the prior owner had added above it. Our tech pulled the mortise cylinder, re-pinned it to fresh keys, matched the Schlage deadbolt to the same key, and left the original brass faceplate and escutcheon untouched so the door still closed the way it did when it was hung. Total on-site time was about 45 minutes and the homeowner had one key for both locks before we pulled out of the driveway. That is a normal rekey call in Rekey Locks in Pasadena.
Serving Pasadena, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Pasadena 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 Pasadena
We rekey original mortise locks without replacing them in almost every case. The cylinder threads out of the lock body, gets re-pinned on a bench with the correct pin kit, and goes back in with the original faceplate and escutcheon left intact. Replacement is only needed if the lock body itself is damaged or the cylinder is cracked. Call (956) 275-7388 and describe the door; we will tell you what to expect before anyone is dispatched.
A standard deadbolt or knob cylinder rekey takes 30 to 45 minutes on site. An original mortise cylinder on a pre-1940 Pasadena home takes 45 to 75 minutes because the cylinder comes out of the lock body and gets re-pinned on a bench. Multiple locks on one property typically finish in about an hour per lock, with the price agreed before we head out.
It means the number we give you on the phone is the number on the invoice. You tell us what the door hardware looks like, we quote the rekey price for that hardware, and the technician arrives with that price already written down. Nothing changes at the door. If the tech finds something we did not know about, we stop and quote the additional work in writing before touching it.
Every Ridley technician arrives in a marked Ridley vehicle, wears a Ridley uniform, and carries identification with the Garrison Partners name on it. You will know the technician’s name before they arrive because we tell you on the phone. We do not use subcontractors or unmarked vans, ever.
Yes. We re-pin the deadbolt cylinder to the keyway and depth of your existing key, then test it before we leave. If you want every lock in the house on one key, we match all of them in the same visit. The price is quoted per lock on the phone before dispatch. Call (956) 275-7388 for a written estimate.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, serving Pasadena under The Garrison Standard since 2007.