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 Larkspur
Rekeying a lock in Larkspur costs between $95 and $160 for a standard pin-and-tumbler cylinder, with a full house of four to five locks typically running $200 to $350 when done in one visit. That price is written down and agreed to before a Ridley Locksmith & Security technician ever leaves for your door, and it is the number on your invoice. No trip charge added at the curb, no “hardware needed” surprise after the lock is apart on the workbench. If you need a lock rekeyed today, call (956) 275-7388 and a live person answers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Larkspur’s mix of older downtown bungalows on streets like Magnolia Avenue and hillside homes in the Madrone and Palm Hill areas means we see two very different lock setups on the same service route. We know which one you have before we arrive, because the questions we ask on the phone tell us. That matters when the goal is getting old keys dead and new keys working without paying for lock hardware you do not need.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is Larkspur’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
We are not a call center that dispatches whoever happens to be nearby. Ridley Locksmith & Security is locally operated under Rekey Locks as a Garrison Partners company, and every technician who knocks on a Larkspur door is background-checked, uniformed, and held to The Garrison Standard. That standard has been the operating code for this brand since 2007, and it is what separates us from an unmarked van with a price that shifts on arrival.
Drew Kowalski runs the team with a simple expectation: the written price you agree to before dispatch is the final price, and the written guarantee you receive covers the rekey for one full year. If the work fails inside that window, we come back at no charge. That is the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it is non-negotiable. Not a verbal promise. A document.
Response time to most of Larkspur runs 30 to 45 minutes for a standard rekey, and we cover the entire city including the flats near downtown and the hillside streets east of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. When you call, the person who answers is in our office, not an answering service reading a script.
Rekey Deadbolt in Larkspur
A Rekey Deadbolt job in Larkspur means changing the internal pins inside the deadbolt cylinder so the old key stops working and a new key takes over, all without replacing the deadbolt itself. For Larkspur homes with a single deadbolt on the front or back door, this is usually a 15 to 30 minute job, and it costs $95 to $160 per cylinder depending on the brand and keyway. Most Schlage and Kwikset deadbolts fall at the lower end of that range.
Single Deadbolt vs. Matched Keying
If you only have one deadbolt to rekey, the job is quick and the price is straightforward. If you have two or three deadbolts, we can key them all alike so one key works every exterior door, or key them differently if you want separate keys for a tenant, a house cleaner, or a family member. Tell us what you want on the phone, and the written price reflects that before we arrive.
Deadbolts on Older Larkspur Doors
Some Larkspur deadbolts are separate from the doorknob, and some are integrated handlesets with a mortise body. Rekeying a separate deadbolt is the simple job described above. Rekeying an integrated mortise deadbolt means resetting the cylinder the same way, but the technician needs to know the brand before driving out. We ask, so there is no second trip.
Rekey House in Larkspur
A Rekey House call in Larkspur covers every keyed lock on the property, typically the front door, back door, side door, and sometimes a garage access door or a deadbolt on a detached studio. The point is control: after the job, every old key is dead and one new key works everything you want it to. A full house rekey in Larkspur generally runs $200 to $350, and most homes are done in under an hour and a half.
One Key, Every Door
We set the new key pattern so a single key opens all the locks, or we split them if you want the front door on one key and the back on another. For a rental on Madrone Avenue or a family home near Piper Park, keying everything alike usually makes the most sense. The written quote before dispatch includes the total for every lock we will touch, so the number does not grow when we arrive.
When Old Keys Are a Real Problem
Larkspur has a steady stream of move-ins, and that is when most house rekeys happen. Previous owners, house sitters, contractors, dog walkers, ex-partners. You do not always know how many copies of an old key are out there, and rekeying the entire house is the only way to guarantee none of them work. We do not need to see the old keys to make this happen. We reset the cylinders, and the old cuts simply stop matching.
Trusted Brands We Service in Larkspur
Our technicians rekey hardware from Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, and Medeco, and we carry the pins and key blanks for all of them on the truck. We also handle high-security lines like Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, and Sargent, but those are surveyed and scheduled rather than same-day dispatched. For the standard Larkspur home with Schlage deadbolts and Kwikset knobs, we have the right pin kits on board, which is why the job gets done in one visit instead of two. If you are not sure what brand you have, we will ask you to check the face of the lock or the edge of the bolt while we are on the phone. It takes thirty seconds and tells us exactly what to bring.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Larkspur Homes
- Old mortise lock bodies in downtown bungalows. Larkspur’s older homes on streets like Magnolia and King often still have the original mortise locks, and many homeowners assume the whole lock has to be replaced. In most cases the cylinder can be pulled, rekeyed, and returned to the same lock body, which keeps the original hardware and saves a few hundred dollars.
- Mixed hardware ages on one property. A home on the Palm Hill side might have a 1960s front door mortise lock and a 2005 back door bored deadbolt. That mix needs two different rekey approaches in one visit, and we plan for it on the phone so the truck arrives with both sets of tools and pins.
- Kwikset keys that work for the old tenant. When a previous occupant had a Kwikset rekey kit from the hardware store, the lock may accept more than one key pattern. A professional rekey resets the cylinder cleanly so exactly one new key operates it, and nothing else does.
- Coastal air and stubborn cylinders. Larkspur sits close enough to the bay that locks on west-facing doors take salt air and morning fog. Cylinders get stiff, and pins stick. A rekey is the right time to clean and lubricate the cylinder, and we do it as part of the job so the new key turns smoothly from day one.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Larkspur, CA
Here is the honest range for Larkspur. A single standard rekey on a Schlage or Kwikset cylinder runs $95 to $160. A deadbolt rekey alone falls in the same range. A full house with four or five keyed locks, done in one visit, runs $200 to $350. The factors that move the price within those ranges are the number of locks, whether they are standard pin-and-tumbler or mortise cylinders, and whether you want all locks keyed alike or split-keyed. High-security cylinders like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock cost more because the key blanks and pins cost more, and those jobs are quoted individually.
Every quote is written and delivered before work starts. The number on that quote is the number on your invoice. Call (956) 275-7388 and we will walk through your locks over the phone and give you a firm price before anyone is dispatched. Estimates are free, and a live person answers around the clock.
We Also Serve Cities Near Larkspur
If you are just outside Larkspur, we run the same rekey service to Larkspur neighbors in Kentfield, Corte Madera, San Rafael, and Mill Valley. The same written price before dispatch, the same one-year written guarantee, and the same technician standard applies across the area.
Serving Larkspur, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Larkspur 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 Larkspur
Every Ridley technician arrives in a marked vehicle, wears a uniform, and carries identification that connects them to Ridley Locksmith & Security under The Garrison Standard. You will know the name on the ID matches the company you called. We also confirm the technician’s name and arrival time when you book, so you are not watching for a stranger in an unmarked van. Call (956) 275-7388 if you ever want to verify a technician before opening the door.
In most cases we can rekey the existing mortise cylinder and leave your original lock body in place. That means the old key stops working, the new key takes over, and you keep the door hardware that matches the house. Replacement is only necessary when the lock body itself is worn to the point of failure, and we will show you exactly what we see before quoting any replacement work. The rekey quote is written and agreed before anyone starts.
A rekey changes the internal pin configuration inside the cylinder so the old key no longer operates the lock and a new key does. The lock hardware stays on the door. Replacing a lock means buying new hardware and installing it, which costs more in parts and labor. In Larkspur, a standard rekey runs $95 to $160 per cylinder, while a new deadbolt and labor often pushes $180 to $250 or more per door.
Yes. We carry pin kits and key blanks for both Schlage and Kwikset on every truck, so one visit covers mixed hardware without a second trip. We will also key them alike if you want a single key for the whole house, even across different brands. Tell us on the phone which lock is where, and the written quote covers the full job before dispatch.
A standard one or two lock rekey takes 20 to 40 minutes, and a full house of four or five locks is usually done within 90 minutes. Drilling is almost never required for a rekey unless a cylinder is seized beyond repair or the keyway is badly damaged, and if we do need to drill, we explain it first and get your approval before cutting into any hardware. Call (956) 275-7388 for an exact time and price.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, serving Larkspur and Marin County.