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 Ramon
Rekeying a lock in San Ramon typically costs $95 to $160 for a standard single-cylinder, and a whole-house rekey that keys every exterior door alike usually runs $25 to $35 per cylinder. You don’t replace the hardware. We change the internal pins so every old key stops working, then cut new keys to match. Most San Ramon homes are done in under an hour. Call (956) 275-7388 and you’ll get a written price before anyone is dispatched.
We work across all of San Ramon, from the Windemere and Gale Ranch developments down to the older neighborhoods near Dougherty Valley. Our technicians know this city’s housing stock because they drive it daily. When you call, a live person answers. When the technician arrives, the price on the invoice matches the price you approved on the phone.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is San Ramon’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Most San Ramon customers find us after a bad experience. A flat teaser price quoted over the phone that doubled at the door. A technician in an unmarked van who couldn’t produce ID. A rekey that left them with two different keys for one house. We hear these stories regularly, and we built our operation specifically to eliminate them.
Ridley Locksmith & Security is part of the Garrison Partners family, operating to The Garrison Standard since 2007. Every technician is background-checked and wears a uniform. Every job gets a written price before the first tool comes out, and a written guarantee that covers the rekey for one full year. If the repair fails inside that window, we return and fix it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s not verbal. It’s on paper, on every job.
Drew Kowalski leads this operation, and the technicians dispatched to San Ramon answer to him. Not to a call center in another state. The Garrison Code holds every tech to the same standard on every door, whether it’s a Gale Ranch front entry or a commercial storefront near Bishop Ranch.
Keyed Alike in San Ramon
Keyed alike means every exterior lock on your San Ramon home works from a single key. One key for the front door, the garage entry, the back door, and the side gate. After a rekey, you carry one key instead of four. San Ramon HOAs, especially in Windemere and Gale Ranch, often mandate a single-keyed entry across the home, so this is the default scope for most of our rekey jobs here.
For homes built after 1990 with builder-grade Schlage or Kwikset hardware, the pins wear down over time. Keys get copied by contractors, realtors, cleaning services, and neighbors. Keyed alike doesn’t mean replacing hardware. It means re-pinning every cylinder to the same new keyway, cutting fresh keys, and verifying each lock turns smoothly before we leave.
Whole-House Rekey Pricing
A whole-house keyed alike job in San Ramon runs $25 to $35 per cylinder depending on how many doors you have and whether the existing hardware is pin-and-tumbler or a newer smart key design. Most homes have four to six cylinders. We quote the full price before dispatch and never add a trip charge on arrival.
What Keyed Alike Won’t Do
Keyed alike doesn’t mean the old keys get reprogrammed. It means old keys are permanently invalidated. If a previous owner, tenant, or handyman still has a copy on their keyring, it will not turn the new cylinder. That’s the point.
Rekey Deadbolt in San Ramon
Rekeying a deadbolt in San Ramon costs $95 to $160 for the deadbolt itself, and most customers have us rekey the matching entry knob at the same time for the full keyed-alike setup. A deadbolt rekey means we pull the cylinder from the door, replace the internal pins, and cut new keys to match. The deadbolt hardware stays in place.
San Ramon homes built in the 1990s and 2000s commonly use Schlage or Kwikset pin-and-tumbler deadbolts. Some later builds in Dougherty Valley use smart-key cylinders that rekey differently. We’re trained on both. If your deadbolt is worn, sticking, or the key no longer turns cleanly, that’s usually a pin issue, and rekeying the cylinder resolves it without replacing the entire lock.
ANSI Grade 1 Deadbolts
Some San Ramon HOAs and insurance policies require ANSI Grade 1 deadbolts on all exterior entry doors. Rekeying preserves the hardware you have. If your existing deadbolt is already Grade 1, there’s no reason to replace it. We’ll tell you plainly if an upgrade is warranted, and we won’t sell you a replacement you don’t need.
Deadbolt Rekey After a Closing
This is the most common deadbolt rekey we do in San Ramon. New owners close on a home in Gale Ranch or Windemere, and the seller’s realtor, cleaners, inspectors, and handyman all had access. A deadbolt rekey is the fastest way to close that gap. Old keys stop working that afternoon.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Ramon
We work on Kwikset and Schlage hardware every day in San Ramon homes, and we’re certified on Medeco and Yale high-security lines for customers who want bump-resistant or restricted keyways. Most San Ramon homes from the 1990s onward use Kwikset or Schlage cylinders, and we carry local pin kits and common parts for those brands so we don’t have to leave mid-job. Rekey Locks is our core service, and our technicians are trained on the full spectrum: standard residential hardware and high-security lines including Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, and Sargent.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in San Ramon Homes
- Worn builder-grade Kwikset pins. After 15 to 20 years, the original pins in many San Ramon entry locks are so worn that almost any Kwikset key will wiggle the cylinder. We see this regularly in Windemere homes built around 2003. Rekeying replaces the pins with fresh ones and cuts a clean, new key.
- HOA-mandated keyed alike across all exterior doors. Gale Ranch and Windemere CC&Rs frequently require a single key for every exterior door. If a previous owner used different keys for the front, garage, and back door, a rekey brings the home into compliance without replacing hardware.
- Mixed Kwikset and Schlage keyways on one job. This is the classic mistake from a rushed rekey: some doors take Kwikset keys, others take Schlage, and the homeowner is left carrying two keys. A proper keyed-alike job re-pins every cylinder to one shared keyway, regardless of the brand on the faceplate.
- Unverified rekeys on vacant Dougherty Valley rentals. We never rekey a lock for someone who can’t prove they have the right to access the property. Our techs verify ID and, for rentals or new purchases, closing paperwork or a lease. It’s a simple step, but it prevents a serious security failure.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in San Ramon, CA
Here’s what you should expect to pay in San Ramon. A single-cylinder rekey of one lock runs $95 to $160. A whole-house rekey across four to six cylinders runs $150 to $240, keyed alike, with new keys included. Deadbolt rekeys are in that same $95 to $160 range per deadbolt when done alone.
What changes the price? The number of cylinders, the type of keyway, and whether existing hardware can be re-pinned as-is or needs a new cylinder. San Ramon’s market is consistent because most homes use the same builder-era Schlage and Kwikset hardware. You’ll get a written price before work starts, and that’s the price on the invoice. No trip charge added at the door. Call (956) 275-7388 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Ramon
Our San Ramon technicians also cover Dublin, Danville, Hayward, and Pleasanton. If you have a property just over the city line, call (956) 275-7388 and we’ll confirm coverage. For more about how we operate throughout the region, see what it means to call Rekey Locks in San Ramon and the surrounding East Bay.
Serving San Ramon, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Ramon 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 Ramon
A rekey covers every exterior lock you want on one key: front entry knob and deadbolt, garage entry, back door, and any side gates or storage doors. We pull each cylinder, replace the internal pins, cut new keys, and verify the old keys no longer turn. In a Gale Ranch home, that usually means four to six cylinders, keyed alike on one new key. The old keys stop working immediately. Call (956) 275-7388 and we’ll give you a written price for the full scope before dispatch.
No. Rekeying changes the internal pins, not the visible hardware. If your Windemere or Gale Ranch exterior door hardware already matches the HOA’s required finish and style, we leave it in place and re-pin the cylinders to a new key. You keep the uniform look. We only recommend replacement if the hardware is mechanically broken or doesn’t meet an ANSI Grade 1 requirement some CC&Rs impose. We’ll tell you the truth either way, and you’ll have a written price before work starts.
For a standard four-cylinder home in Windemere or Dougherty Valley, plan on 35 to 45 minutes. Homes with more doors, smart-key cylinders, or older worn hardware sometimes run closer to an hour. We quote the time on the phone when you describe the house, and we don’t leave until every keyed-alike lock turns cleanly. If you’re in San Ramon, we can usually have a technician to you the same day you call.
Every Ridley technician arrives in a marked, uniformed capacity, with background-check credentials and a company ID. They’ll know your name, the address, and the price quoted on the phone. You’ll get a written price before any work starts, on Ridley letterhead. The Garrison Code requires every technician to identify themselves and confirm the job scope before touching a lock. If anything doesn’t match, you don’t let them in. It’s that simple.
No. A rekey re-pins your existing cylinder to a new key. It doesn’t change the grade or bump-resistance of the hardware. If your San Ramon home has builder-grade Kwikset deadbolts and you want ANSI Grade 1 protection, we can install upgraded deadbolts and rekey them as part of the same visit. We’ll quote it as a separate line item, and we won’t push it if you don’t need it. Some HOAs and insurance policies require Grade 1, and we’ll tell you if yours appears to fall short of that standard. Call (956) 275-7388 for a direct answer.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, serving San Ramon and the East Bay since 2007.