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 San Rafael
A rekey in San Rafael typically runs $95 – $180 for the first lock and $25 – $45 per additional lock keyed alike. The job rarely takes more than 30 – 45 minutes once we’re at the door, and you’ll know the full price before anyone is dispatched. That matters in a city where much of the housing stock predates 1970 and lock hardware is not always what it appears from the outside. Call (956) 275-7388 and a live person answers, day or night.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is San Rafael’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Ridley Locksmith & Security runs on The Garrison Standard, the operating code that has governed every job since 2007. What that means for a homeowner near the San Rafael Transit Center or a property manager off Lincoln Avenue is simple: a written price before any work begins, a uniformed technician who arrives in a marked vehicle, and a written guarantee covering the repair for one full year. If the work fails inside that window, we return at no charge. No fine print, no verbal handshake.
Our Rekey Locks team works on hardware most San Rafael homes actually have: Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, Medeco, and the vintage mortise locks common in Gerstle Park and the flatlands. The difference is not just training. It’s the accountability structure. Technicians are background-checked and dispatched directly, not subcontracted out to whoever answers a dispatch board. When the tech knocks on your door near Dominican University, you know exactly who you’re letting in.
Locksmith Rekey in San Rafael
Locksmith rekey in San Rafael means pulling the cylinder from an existing lock, replacing the internal pins so the old key no longer turns the plug, and cutting a new key to match. You keep the hardware. The old keys become dead brass. For a city where many homes in the Bret Harte and Sun Valley neighborhoods still run original deadbolts from the 1950s and 60s, that’s the fastest way to restore key control after a sale, a tenant turn, or a lost key without replacing a door’s worth of hardware. A standard single-cylinder rekey in San Rafael runs $95 – $130; a double-cylinder or high-security cylinder runs $150 – $180.
When a San Rafael homeowner should consider it
You just closed on a house in Terra Linda and the previous owner’s contractor, cleaner, and in-laws all had copies. You don’t know who has keys. Rekey the exterior locks. A property manager in the Canal district with a tenant turnover every 14 months rekeys between every lease, because key control is a liability question, not a convenience.
What the technician actually does on site
The cylinder comes out, the pin stack is inspected for wear, fresh pins are cut to the new key, the cylinder is reseated, and the lock is tested from both sides. If the lock is a Schlage or Kwikset, parts are on the van. If it’s a vintage mortise body, we inspect it before pinning to make sure the cylinder seats correctly. The written price covers all of that.
Rekey Door Lock in San Rafael
Rekey door lock in San Rafael means changing the internal pins of a lock cylinder so an existing door lock works only with new keys. For most single-family homes in San Rafael, from the Victorians near Mission San Rafael Arcángel to the mid-century ranches in Lucas Valley, that means the knob and deadbolt are rekeyed to one key, so you carry one key, not a ring. A front door rekey in San Rafael averages $110, with the deadbolt rekeyed along with it. You do not need to buy new hardware unless the lock itself is failing.
Single-key conversion
Many older San Rafael homes have a deadbolt and knob that take different keys because they were installed years apart. We rekey both cylinders to match one key, which means the old keys stop working and the new key operates everything on that door. If the deadbolt is a builder-grade Kwikset, we’ll tell you plainly whether it’s worth rekeying or whether a replacement cylinder makes more sense for security.
After the rekey
You get the new keys, the old keys are tested in front of you to confirm they no longer turn, and the written guarantee is handed over before we leave. That guarantee is the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the cylinder seizes, the key sticks, or the rekey fails within one full year, we come back and make it right at no charge.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Rafael
We pin and rekey Schlage, Kwikset, and Yale hardware daily, and we’re certified on Medeco high-security cylinders for San Rafael commercial customers who need restricted keyways and key control. Vans stocked with common pin kits and cylinders for these brands mean the rekey happens in one visit, not two. If your lock is an oddball import or a discontinued line, we’ll tell you that on the phone and give you the price for both options: rekey or replace. You decide, in writing, before anyone is dispatched.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in San Rafael Homes
- Vintage mortise locks with wrong pin lengths. We got a call from a homeowner near Gerstle Park whose 1940s-era mortise lock on the front door had been rekeyed by a previous company but never properly seated. Old keys still worked and the deadbolt would hang. Our tech pulled the cylinder, found the wrong pin lengths installed, and rebuilt the pin and tumbler stack to match the new key, then tested non-destructive entry from the outside before leaving. The homeowner now has one key for the knob and deadbolt, and we showed them the old keys no longer turn the cylinder.
- Drilled-out cylinders from discount rekeys. A homeowner calls after a discount locksmith drilled a vintage mortise lock in a Gerstle Park bungalow instead of rekeying it. The cylinder is now ruined and the door needs a full mortise replacement, not just a rekey. That’s a $400+ repair that a $95 rekey would have prevented.
- Botched big-box DIY pinning. A Terra Linda homeowner tries to rekey a builder-grade Kwikset knob themselves with a big-box kit, cross-pins the cylinder, and the key stops working entirely. We get called to fix the botched pin stack, not just rekey. The fix often costs more than a professional rekey would have from the start.
- Rental deadbolts that don’t meet key control needs. A rental property manager in the Canal district wants to rekey between tenants, but the existing deadbolts aren’t ANSI Grade 1 and use non-standard keyways. A rekey alone won’t satisfy insurance or key control requirements. We walk through what will, and price it in writing before any work.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in San Rafael, CA
San Rafael rekey pricing breaks down like this: $95 – $130 for a standard single-cylinder rekey, $150 – $180 for a high-security or double-cylinder rekey, and $25 – $45 per additional lock keyed alike on the same visit. A full exterior rekey on a typical three-lock home, front door plus back door plus garage entry, runs $145 – $215. There is no call-out surcharge added on arrival. The price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. If we find a cylinder that’s too worn to pin reliably, we stop, show you the problem, and give you a written price for replacement before doing anything else. Call (956) 275-7388 for an exact quote; estimates are free.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Rafael
Our San Rafael crews also cover Larkspur, Kentfield, Corte Madera, and San Anselmo with the same written pricing and same-day scheduling. See our San Rafael service hub for full coverage details across Marin County.
Serving San Rafael, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Rafael 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 San Rafael
In most cases we can rekey a mortise lock without replacing it. The trick is pulling the cylinder cleanly and seating the new pin stack so the deadbolt throws smoothly. If the cylinder is cracked or the previous rekey was botched, we’ll tell you and quote a replacement. Call (956) 275-7388 and describe the lock; we’ll give you a straight answer and a written price before dispatch.
A standard rekey on one door takes 30 – 45 minutes on site in San Rafael. Additional locks keyed alike add 10 – 15 minutes each. Yes, you get a written price before anyone is dispatched, and that price is the final invoice amount. No exceptions, ever. Call (956) 275-7388 for a free estimate now.
Rekeying changes the internal pins so old keys no longer work; you keep the existing lock body and hardware. Replacing means installing entirely new lock hardware. It matters in San Rafael because so many homes in Gerstle Park and the flatlands have original mortise locks that are discontinued and expensive to replace; rekeying preserves them. Call (956) 275-7388 and we’ll tell you which path fits your lock and your budget.
Our technicians wear company uniforms, arrive in marked vehicles, and carry identification linking them to Ridley Locksmith & Security and The Garrison Standard. The phone number is (956) 275-7388. If someone shows up claiming to be us without that ID, don’t let them in. Call the number and we’ll confirm who we dispatched.
We service both. Traditional rekeys remain our most common call in San Rafael, but we also install, reprogram, and rekey smart locks and keypad entry systems, including Yale and Schlage models, for residential and commercial customers. Call (956) 275-7388 with the make and model and we’ll quote it in writing.
Call Ridley Locksmith & Security for Honest Rekey Work in San Rafael
You’ll get a written price on the phone, a uniformed tech at the door who matches the ID we told you to expect, and a written guarantee that covers the work for one full year. That’s The Garrison Standard, and it’s been the operating rule since 2007. Call (956) 275-7388 now for a free rekey estimate anywhere in San Rafael, from Gerstle Park to Terra Linda to the Canal district. A live person answers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, serving San Rafael since 2007.