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 Fairfax
Rekeying a lock in Fairfax typically costs $75 – $160 per cylinder, takes 20 – 40 minutes on site, and can usually be scheduled same-day or next-day. That price is a written price you’ll get on the phone before our tech rolls toward Bolinas Road, Broadway, or Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. It stays the same when we arrive, and it matches the invoice down to the dollar. Fairfax homes are a mix of early-1900s redwood bungalows and 1960s – 70s ranches, so we stock a deep pinning kit to handle everything from original mortise cylinders to builder-grade Kwikset deadbolts on one route. Call (956) 275-7388 and a live person answers, day or night.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is Fairfax’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Fairfax homeowners and landlords call us because they want a locksmith who shows up with a name, a uniform, and a number they already agreed to. That’s the difference between a Garrison Partners shop and an unmarked van quoting from the curb. Drew Kowalski, who leads Ridley Locksmith & Security, has held every technician to The Garrison Standard since 2007: background-checked, uniformed, and trained on the full hardware spectrum from Schlage and Kwikset to Medeco and Mul-T-Lock.
Fairfax customers don’t get handed off to a call center. When you call, a live person answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and dispatches a tech who knows that a Bolinas Road mortise lock is a different job than a deadbolt on a 1970s rancher off Sir Francis Drake. We’re the Rekey Locks crew that brings the right pins for both. Every job gets a written price before we touch a screw, and every repair carries a written guarantee covering the work for one full year. If it fails inside that window, we come back at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s not negotiable.
Keyed Alike in Fairfax
Keyed Alike means setting multiple locks in a Fairfax home to open with the same key, which is a demand we see constantly from owners of the borough’s mixed-vintage housing stock. When a 1920s bungalow near the Fairfax Theater has an original mortise lock on the front door and a newer Schlage deadbolt on the back, the cylinders don’t share a keyway by default. We re-pin the cylinders so one key turns both, without replacing the hardware.
What It Involves
Our tech pulls each cylinder, reads the keyway, and installs a matching pin and tumbler stack so a single new key operates every lock you keyed alike. The original keys stop working. We hand you a documented pinning sheet showing the new bitting. The price depends on cylinder count, not on how many spare keys we cut for you.
What It Costs
Keyed alike in Fairfax runs $95 – $180 for two to three cylinders, including the new keys. A single cylinder on a Kwikset deadbolt starts around $75. Add an original mortise lock and the cylinder work is the same; you’re paying for pinning labor, not inflated hardware replacement. We quote the flat number before dispatch and it matches on arrival.
Rekey Deadbolt in Fairfax
Rekey Deadbolt work in Fairfax almost always comes from one of two situations: a tenant moved out of a rental near Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, or a homeowner just bought a 1950s ranch and has no idea how many old keys are floating around. The job means changing the internal pins so every previous key is dead. The deadbolt body stays in the door. You keep the hardware you already have, and we re-pin it to a new key in about 20 minutes per deadbolt.
What It Involves
We remove the cylinder from the deadbolt, swap the pin stack to a new bitting, and put it back. Then we test with the new key and at least one old key if you have it. On a Fairfax bungalow with an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt, this is straightforward cylinder work. No drilling, no replacement, no period hardware thrown away.
What It Costs
A standard deadbolt rekey in Fairfax runs $75 – $110 per cylinder. If the deadbolt is a high-security line like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock, the cylinder work runs $110 – $160 because of the security pins. The written price covers the rekey and new keys. You approve it before dispatch. Nothing moves at the door.
Trusted Brands We Service in Fairfax
Our Fairfax rekey routes work across the hardware this borough’s housing stock actually contains. We service Schlage and Kwikset deadbolts on the 1960s – 70s ranches off Sir Francis Drake, Yale and Baldwin cylinders on older Broadway bungalows, and high-security Medeco lines when a Fairfax homeowner wants restricted key control after a roommate situation. Drew Kowalski’s techs carry original pins, springs, and key blanks for all these brands, so we’re not filing a generic blank that wears out next spring. That stock lives in the van, which means a rekey in Fairfax is done on the first visit far more often than not. One pinning kit fits most of the borough’s hardware, but we bring the full range because the next call might be a mortise cylinder three blocks from the Fairfax Theater.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Fairfax Homes
Fairfax’s housing stock creates a specific set of rekey failures. Here’s what we actually walk into:
- The teaser-quote trap. A Fairfax homeowner gets a low phone price, then the tech arrives on Bolinas Road and says the mortise lock or ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt needs a full pin stack, and the number jumps. Our price is written before dispatch and covers the cylinder work, not just the quickest-case scenario.
- Old keys still working. A sloppy rekey that doesn’t fully restack the pins leaves a former roommate’s key turning the deadbolt. We test with the old key when you have one and document the new pinning sheet so key control is proven, not assumed.
- Hardware replacement when rekeying was enough. On a Fairfax bungalow with original mortise locks, a less experienced tech may tell you the whole unit needs replacing. That costs far more and destroys period hardware. The fix is usually pins inside the existing cylinder, and that’s what we do.
- Redwood weather wear on older cylinders. Fairfax’s damp, shaded lots near the creek corridors cause brass cylinders on early-1900s bungalows to gum up. We clean and lubricate during a rekey rather than forcing a pin stack into a corroded cylinder that fails in a year.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Fairfax, CA
We Also Serve Cities Near Fairfax
If you’re just outside Fairfax, we handle rekey work in San Anselmo, Kentfield, San Rafael, and Larkspur as well. The same written price, the same 365-Day Done Right Promise, the same background-checked techs. If you need Rekey Locks in Fairfax or a neighboring Marin town, call (956) 275-7388 and we’ll get a live person on the line.
Serving Fairfax, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fairfax 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 Fairfax
Will rekeying my Fairfax deadbolt actually stop the old keys, even the landlord’s spare?
Yes. A proper rekey replaces the pin and tumbler stack inside the cylinder so every key cut to the old bitting stops turning, including spares and landlord copies. We test with the old key when you have one and give you a documented pinning sheet proving the new bitting. Call (956) 275-7388 for a written quote before dispatch.
My Fairfax house has an old mortise lock – can that be rekeyed or does it need replacing?
It can almost always be rekeyed. Fairfax’s early-1900s bungalows near the Fairfax Theater use original mortise locks with brass cylinders, and our techs pull the cylinder, swap the pin stack, and leave the period hardware intact. Replacing the whole unit costs far more and loses the original lock. A mortise cylinder rekey in Fairfax runs $95 – $150. The quote is free and written.
How long does a rekey take on site in Fairfax, and how is the price set?
A single deadbolt takes 20 – 40 minutes on site. A mortise cylinder may take slightly longer because of the older keyway. The price is set on the phone before dispatch, based on the number and type of cylinders you describe. That written price is the invoice price. No tech arrives and re-prices the job. Call (956) 275-7388 to lock the number in.
Can you make my Fairfax entry keypad entry and rekeyed deadbolt work on the same key?
Yes. If your keypad entry system uses a physical key override cylinder, we rekey that cylinder to the same bitting as your deadbolt so one key works both. If the keypad is electronic-only with no cylinder, it doesn’t need rekeying. Tell us the brand and model when you call and we’ll confirm before dispatch. Estimates are free at (956) 275-7388.
What brands of deadbolt and lock cylinder do you service in Fairfax?
We service Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, and Baldwin as the standard residential lines in Fairfax, plus high-security Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, and Sargent cylinders. The vans carry original pins and blanks for the full range, which matters in a borough where one block has a 1920s mortise and the next has a builder-grade deadbolt. Call (956) 275-7388 with your lock brand and we’ll give you a written price.
Contact Ridley Locksmith & Security in Fairfax
If you need a rekey in Fairfax, call (956) 275-7388. A live person answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You’ll get a written price before dispatch, a background-checked uniformed tech at the door, and a written guarantee covering the work for one full year. That’s The Garrison Standard, held by Drew Kowalski and every tech who carries the Ridley name. The number we quote is the number you pay. Nothing moves when we arrive.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, serving Fairfax under The Garrison Standard since 2007.