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 Irvine
Rekeying a lock in Irvine typically runs $25 – $35 per cylinder for labor, plus the cost of new keys at $5 – $10 each, and most houses with two or three exterior doors are done in under an hour. That means changing the internal pins inside your existing deadbolts and knobs so old keys stop working, without replacing any hardware. If you just moved into a home in Woodbridge, Northwood, or Great Park, or you’ve had a roommate, tenant, or contractor leave with a key, call (956) 275-7388 and we’ll give you a written price before anyone is dispatched.
We’re Ridley Locksmith & Security, part of the Garrison Partners family since 2007, and we serve Irvine with uniformed, background-checked technicians who carry the pins and cylinders for Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, and Medeco on the truck. A live person answers our phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You won’t get a voicemail or an answering service when you call.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is Irvine’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Most Irvine homes sit in HOA-governed tracts built between the 1970s and 2000s, and those HOAs often restrict visible hardware changes. Our technicians know to ask about HOA status before touching a lock, because replacing an entire deadbolt can trigger a compliance issue that a simple cylinder rekey would not. That local knowledge comes from running calls across Irvine neighborhoods, not from a call center reading a script.
We operate to The Garrison Standard, which means every technician is held to a written code covering pricing, conduct, and workmanship. Every job carries a written guarantee covering the repair for one full year. If the rekey fails inside that window, we come back at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it isn’t a verbal assurance. It’s a document you receive with your invoice.
Response time to Irvine from our Los Angeles dispatch coordination typically runs 45 to 60 minutes for non-emergency calls, and we’ll confirm a window when you book. Our technicians arrive in marked vehicles, wearing uniforms, and they’ll hand you a written price before any work starts. Not an estimate that moves at the door. The price you approve is the price on the invoice.
Keyed Alike in Irvine
Keyed alike in Irvine means setting every exterior lock on your home to open with a single key, and it’s one of the most common requests we field from homeowners in tracts like Westpark and Turtle Rock. If your front door, side door, and garage entry each need their own key right now, we rekey all the cylinders to match one keyway. You carry one key. Everything else stays the same mechanically.
A keyed alike job on a typical Irvine home with three exterior doors usually runs $60 – $90 in labor plus $5 – $10 per new key cut. If there’s a mix of brands, say a Schlage deadbolt on the front and a Kwikset knob on the garage, we often have to swap or shim one cylinder to accept the other keyway, which can add $20 – $40. You’ll see that number in writing before we begin.
Same key for every door
We set the pins in each cylinder to the same depth sequence, so the same key turns every lock. This works on most pin-and-tumbler hardware in Irvine homes, especially the builder-grade Kwikset and Schlage deadbolts common in 1980s and 1990s construction. If a lock is too worn to rekey cleanly, we’ll tell you before we touch it, with a replacement price in writing.
After a move or a turnover
If you bought a home in Irvine and the previous owner handed over keys, you don’t know who else has copies. Rekeying every lock to a single new key closes that gap without replacing hardware. For landlords in neighborhoods near UCI with turnover every year or two, keyed alike cuts the number of keys you’re tracking to one and lets you rekey between tenants in under an hour.
Rekey Deadbolt in Irvine
Rekeying a deadbolt in Irvine is the most direct way to prevent an old key from turning your lock, and it’s a job we do without drilling in almost every case. The deadbolt stays in the door. We remove the cylinder, swap the pins, reassemble, and test the new key. When the old key stops working, the rekey is done. No drywall patching, no new hardware, no HOA compliance concern.
A single deadbolt rekey in Irvine runs $25 – $35 in labor, plus $5 – $10 per new key. If you have a high-security deadbolt from Medeco or a keypad-integrated deadbolt from Kwikset or Yale, the cylinder may take longer to remove and pin, which can bring labor to $45 – $65. We’ll give you the exact number on the phone after you describe what’s on the door.
Builder-grade deadbolts from the 1980s and 1990s
Many Irvine tract homes still run the original builder deadbolts, often Kwikset pin-and-tumbler units. Those rekey cleanly as long as the pins and springs aren’t worn. If a cylinder feels sloppy after rekeying, the pins are worn and the real fix is a new cylinder, not another rekey. We diagnose that before dispatch when you tell us how the key feels in the lock.
Deadbolts paired with smart locks
Irvine has a high concentration of smart locks and keypad entry systems layered over older deadbolts. When we rekey the mechanical cylinder, we also check the electronic override and note whether the old mechanical key still matches the keypad’s parent key. If the smart lock uses its own keyway, we rekey both cylinders together so you don’t end up with two keys that don’t match.
Trusted Brands We Service in Irvine
We rekey Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Yale hardware, and we stock the matching pins and key blanks on the truck so most Irvine jobs are finished in one visit. That’s the practical difference between a shop that arrives ready and one that has to drive back to a supply house. If your Irvine tract home has builder-grade Kwikset deadbolts, we have the pins. If you’ve upgraded to a Medeco high-security cylinder, we’re certified to work on that line and carry the restricted key blanks it requires.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Irvine Homes
- Original builder keys from decades ago. Irvine tracts were often built with the same builder keyway across entire streets, so an original key from the 1980s may open more doors than just yours. Rekeying with key control, meaning new pins plus a fresh key that isn’t a copy of a copy, matters more here than in older cities with mismatched hardware.
- Worn Kwikset cylinders that rekey but still feel loose. If the key wiggles or the deadbolt turns with extra play, rekeying alone won’t fix it. We check pin wear during the phone call and bring a new cylinder if you describe that symptom, so we don’t waste a trip to your home in Woodbridge or Oak Creek.
- HOA restrictions on visible hardware. Irvine HOA boards in communities like Westpark and Quail Hill sometimes require approval before you swap a lock that’s visible from the street. Rekeying the existing cylinder changes nothing visible and stays compliant. If you do want a new finish or style, we’ll suggest checking the CC&Rs before the part goes on the door.
- Smart lock override keys that don’t match after a rekey. When a keypad or smart deadbolt is layered over a mechanical cylinder, rekeying one and not the other leaves you with two access methods that don’t align. We note the smart hardware on the phone and rekey both cylinders in the same visit so the mechanical path and the electronic path stay consistent.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Irvine, CA
A standard rekey in Irvine runs $25 – $35 per cylinder in labor, and new keys run $5 – $10 each. A two-door home with one deadbolt and one knob per door typically lands between $80 and $120 total. Keyed alike work across three or four exterior doors usually runs $90 – $130. High-security cylinders, including Medeco and some Sargent lines, run $45 – $65 per cylinder because the pinning work is more involved and the key blanks cost more.
The price we quote on the phone is a written price, and it’s the price on the invoice. There’s no call-out surcharge added when the tech arrives, and no bait figure that balloons after we see the lock. If the job turns out to need a new cylinder instead of a rekey, we’ll show you the price for that part before we install it. Call (956) 275-7388 for a free estimate, and you’ll get the full number before anyone is dispatched to your Irvine address.
We Also Serve Cities Near Irvine
Ridley Locksmith & Security handles rekey work across Irvine and the neighboring cities of Tustin, Santa Ana, Orange, and Villa Park. Our Rekey Locks team dispatches technicians from the Los Angeles coordination office to all of these communities. If you’re just over the city line in Tustin or Santa Ana, you get the same written pricing and the same one-year written guarantee.
Serving Irvine, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Irvine 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 Irvine
Yes, in most cases we can rekey the original builder cylinders without replacing the locks, as long as the pins and springs aren’t worn. Irvine tract homes from that era typically have Kwikset or Schlage pin-and-tumbler deadbolts that rekey cleanly. If the cylinder is worn, we’ll tell you and give you a replacement price in writing before any work begins. Call (956) 275-7388 and describe how the key feels in the lock, and we’ll tell you what to expect.
Standard deadbolt rekeys in Irvine run $25 – $35 per cylinder, while a full mortise lock rekey is less common here and typically runs $45 – $65 per cylinder because the cylinder is more involved to remove and pin. Most Irvine homes use deadbolts and cylindrical knobs rather than mortise locks, so the lower rate usually applies. We’ll confirm the exact price from your lock description on the phone.
Yes, we rekey every exterior cylinder to a single key in one visit, and the typical Irvine home with three doors costs $90 – $130 including new keys. If you have mixed brands like Schlage and Kwikset, we can usually adapt one cylinder to the other’s keyway so a single key still works. The full price is quoted in writing before we start, and it’s the price you pay. Call (956) 275-7388 for an exact quote.
Our technicians arrive in a marked vehicle, wearing a Ridley Locksmith & Security uniform with a company ID, and they hand you a written price before any work starts. We don’t use subcontractors or unmarked vans, and we don’t dispatch through a call center. If you want to confirm, ask for the tech’s name when you book, and the same person who arrives will match it.
We rekey Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Yale hardware, and we carry the pins and key blanks for those brands on the truck so most Irvine jobs are done in one visit. That covers the builder-grade Kwikset deadbolts common in Irvine tracts and the high-security Medeco cylinders some homeowners have installed. If you have a different brand, tell us on the phone and we’ll let you know if we need to bring anything extra.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, serving Irvine under The Garrison Standard since 2007.