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.
Fast, Reliable Rekey Locks Across Martinez
Rekeying a lock in Martinez typically costs $85 to $160 for the first cylinder and $25 to $45 for each additional cylinder on the same key, with most single-family homes running $150 to $250 when a tech rekeys every exterior lock to one key. We serve all of Martinez, from the downtown grid near Main Street up through the Alhambra Valley, with technicians who know the older mortise locks on Court Street just as well as the builder-grade deadbolts in the newer tracts off Arnold Drive. Call (956) 275-7388 and you’ll get a live person who can walk through your lock situation and give you a written price before anyone rolls a van.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is Martinez’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Martinez homeowners and business operators call us because they want to know exactly who is walking through the door and exactly what the job will cost before that person touches a lock. Ridley Locksmith & Security has been part of the Garrison Partners family since 2007, and every technician runs on The Garrison Standard: a written price delivered before any work starts, a written guarantee covering the repair for one full year, and a background-checked, uniformed tech on every call. Not a subcontractor in an unmarked van. Not a price that shifts at the door.
When you call, a live person answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That person is not an answering service reading a script. They can typically tell you whether your lock is a candidate for a rekey or a replace based on the brand and the age of the hardware. For Martinez’s older housing stock, that first phone conversation matters more than it does in a city full of cookie-cutter subdivisions. We cover Martinez daily, and our Rekey Locks team knows the difference between a 1940s mortise lock on a downtown bungalow and a 2015 Kwikset on a Mountain View-area tract home.
Rekey Deadbolt in Martinez
Rekey deadbolt work in Martinez starts with an honest look at what is actually on the door, because a deadbolt rekey here is rarely a one-size-fits-all job. The cost to rekey a standard deadbolt cylinder in Martinez runs $85 to $160 for the first one and $25 to $45 for each additional deadbolt keyed to match, assuming a typical Schlage or Kwikset pin and tumbler cylinder. If the deadbolt is an older mortise-style unit or a commercial-grade ANSI lock, the cylinder and pin kit are different, and the price reflects that before we dispatch, not after we arrive.
When a Deadbolt Rekey Makes Sense
A deadbolt rekey is the right move when you have lost track of who holds copies of a key, or when a tenant, roommate, contractor, or housecleaner has moved on. The job takes 15 to 30 minutes per deadbolt once the tech is at the door. You keep the same hardware, but old keys go dead.
The Cylinder Count Is the Price
Here is the part most Martinez homeowners do not hear from a dispatch quote: rekey pricing is counted by cylinder, not by door. A deadbolt and a doorknob on the same door are two cylinders. If you want one key to work both, both get rekeyed. If a phone quote sounds too cheap to be true, ask whether it covers every cylinder or just the first one. We quote the cylinder count and the lock type before we send a tech, because downtown Martinez’s pre-war bungalows and the Alhambra Valley’s newer builds do not use the same hardware.
Rekey House in Martinez
A full rekey house job in Martinez means every exterior lock on the home gets repinned so one key operates all of them, and the old keys stop working completely. For a typical three-bedroom Martinez home with a front door, a back door, and a garage entry, the job runs $150 to $250 when all cylinders are standard Schlage or Kwikset pin and tumbler hardware. That price is quoted by cylinder count and lock type before our tech leaves the shop.
Older Locks Need a Different Pin Kit
Martinez’s housing stock is split. Downtown and the streets around Court Street have pre-war bungalows with original mortise locks that use a different pin and tumbler stack than a modern Kwikset. The Alhambra Valley and the newer subdivisions off Blue Ridge Drive and Morello Avenue lean toward builder-grade deadbolts and knob locks. A single rekey visit on the same block can require two different pin kits, and our techs carry both. This is also why we do not give a flat per-lock teaser price over the phone for a whole-house rekey in Martinez. The honest number is the cylinder count and the cylinder type.
What a Whole-House Rekey Includes
The tech repins every keyed entry, tests each lock with the new key and an old key to confirm the old one no longer turns, and then hands you one key that works everything. If you want the front deadbolt upgraded to something bump-resistant at the same time, we can add a Schlage bump-resistant deadbolt and key it to the new key as part of the same visit. The written price you approved before dispatch is the price on the invoice, and every job carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Trusted Brands We Service in Martinez
We rekey and service the hardware Martinez homes actually have, from standard Schlage and Kwikset deadbolts and knob locks to Yale and Baldwin hardware on older doors. For commercial properties and homeowners who want real key control, we are certified on Medeco high-security cylinders as well. Our techs carry common pin kits and cylinder parts for the standard residential brands, so most rekey jobs in Martinez are completed in a single visit without ordering parts. If your lock is a high-security line like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock, we can rekey it too; that work typically requires the original key and a quick cylinder check first.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Martinez Homes
- Mortise locks on pre-war bungalows. Downtown Martinez and Court Street have genuinely old doors with mortise locks, and the pin and tumbler stack in those wears differently than a modern cylinder. A worn pin stack can make a rekey rough or impossible, and the honest fix is sometimes a replacement cylinder keyed to your existing key rather than a forced rekey on worn hardware.
- Smart locks with no serviceable cylinder. A keypad entry or smart lock that has no pin and tumbler cylinder cannot be rekeyed in the traditional sense. The options are reprogramming, which changes the codes, or replacement. We will tell you which one applies before we dispatch, not after we are standing at the door.
- Old keys still working after a cheap rekey. Some techs rekey only the deadbolt and leave the doorknob or a second cylinder on the old keyway. That defeats the entire point. Our whole-house rekey in Martinez keys every exterior cylinder to one new key and tests each one with an old key before we call the job done.
- Flat per-lock phone quotes that do not survive contact with the door. A dispatcher quotes a low flat rate, then the tech discovers a mortise lock or an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt and the price moves. We quote by cylinder and lock type on the phone, and the written price is the price on the invoice, every time.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Martinez, CA
We Also Serve Cities Near Martinez
Our Rekey Locks team runs daily to Martinez and regularly handles rekey work in Pleasant Hill, Benicia, Lafayette, and Crockett. If you are a landlord with units across those cities, we can key them to a master system so one key opens the common areas and each tenant key opens only the right unit, with a written scope and a flat per-lock price before the work starts.
Serving Martinez, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Martinez 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 Martinez
We rekey both, and we quote both as separate cylinders before dispatch. A deadbolt and a doorknob on the same door are two cylinders, each with its own pin stack. If you want one key to operate everything, both get rekeyed, and the written price reflects that. Call (956) 275-7388 and we will walk through each door on your home and give you the cylinder count and the total before anyone is sent out.
A standard whole-house rekey with three exterior doors takes 45 to 90 minutes on site once the tech arrives. Older mortise locks, common in downtown Martinez’s pre-war homes, can add time because the cylinder has to be pulled and the pin stack checked for wear. We will tell you the expected window when we quote the job.
Yes, in nearly every case. A rekey is non-destructive by definition; the cylinder is removed, repinned with a new key, and reinstalled. Drilling only enters the picture if the lock is already broken or seized. For most Martinez homes, even the older mortise units rekey cleanly without drilling. If your lock is damaged, we will tell you that on the phone and quote the honest options.
Every tech we send to Martinez arrives in a marked van, in uniform, with a company ID and a written work order that has the price you approved on the phone. You do not get an unmarked car or a subcontracted crew. If you want extra verification, call (956) 275-7388 before the tech walks up and we will confirm the tech’s name and expected arrival window.
We rekey Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, and Baldwin as standard, and we are certified on Medeco high-security cylinders for commercial or residential work. Martinez’s older homes often have Baldwin or Yale mortise locks, and the newer ones run Schlage or Kwikset, so our techs carry all the common pin kits. If you have a high-security brand, we will ask for the original key and confirm the cylinder model before we schedule. Call (956) 275-7388 for a free quote on any brand.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, serving Martinez, CA.







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