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 Residential Locksmith Across Fairfax
If you’re locked out of a 1920s bungalow on Scenic Road or need a deadbolt replaced in a mid-century rancher near Deer Park, a residential locksmith who knows Fairfax’s housing stock gets the job done without guessing. Ridley Locksmith & Security serves Fairfax, CA with background-checked, uniformed technicians who arrive with the right parts for old mortise locks and new high-security hardware alike. We give you a written price before any work starts, and a written guarantee covering the repair for one full year. Call (956) 275-7388 and a live person answers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is Fairfax’s Preferred Residential Locksmith Company
Fairfax has been home to families in early-1900s bungalows and mid-century homes for decades, and a lot of those houses still run on original mortise locks rather than modern deadbolts. That’s not a problem for a technician trained on the full hardware spectrum, from everyday Schlage and Kwikset to vintage Baldwin faceplates. Our crew is certified on high-security lines including Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Sargent, so if the job calls for an upgrade we can do it without lecturing you about why your old lock is “wrong.” We carry the parts that actually fit Fairfax homes.
Ridley Locksmith & Security has been part of the Garrison Partners family since 2007, independently owned and operated under The Garrison Standard. That standard is written, not vibes. Every job carries a 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the repair fails inside one full year, we come back and make it right at no charge. That promise is backed by a document, not a handshake. The same goes for pricing. We deliver a written price before any work starts, on every single job, and there’s no call-out surcharge added on arrival. What we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice.
When you call, you get a live person, not a voicemail tree and not an answering service. Dispatch and scheduling for Fairfax are coordinated from our San Francisco Bay Area office, and crews serve Fairfax locally. That means someone who lives here, knows the side streets off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and can tell you whether Cascade Drive’s narrow pull-offs will be a problem for the van before we send it out.
We understand what our Residential Locksmith team is measured against in this town. Fairfax neighbors talk. If a tech shows up late, quotes low over the phone and then tries to upsell a full deadbolt replacement, word gets around. We’d rather be accountable to The Garrison Code than burn a reputation on Bolinas Road.
Apartment Locksmith in Fairfax
An Apartment Locksmith job in Fairfax usually means one of three things: a tenant moved out and you need the lock rekeyed before the next one moves in, a property manager needs a master key system serviced, or a unit lock has failed and the tenant can’t get in. Rekeying means changing the lock’s internal pins so the old keys stop working, without replacing the hardware. In most Fairfax apartments, that’s a faster and less expensive fix than buying new locks, and it’s the standard practice after any lease turnover.
Rekeying for turnover and tenant changes
If a tenant left a unit near downtown Fairfax or over by the Meadow Club, we rekey the lock so every previous key is dead. The hardware stays, the cylinder gets new pins, and you get new keys. A standard residential rekey in Fairfax runs $75 to $180 depending on how many cylinders and whether the lock is a modern Schlage or an older mortise unit.
Master key systems for small buildings
Fairfax has a lot of four-unit and eight-unit buildings where the owner wants one key for common areas and individual keys for each apartment. We set up and service master key systems, cut to the cylinder blanks your building already uses. If we need to change key control, we’ll walk you through Medeco or Mul-T-Lock options with restricted key duplication, which matters more than most landlords realize.
Lost Key Replacement in Fairfax
Lost Key Replacement in Fairfax doesn’t have to mean new locks on every door. If you lost a house key, we can cut a new key from the lock itself, or rekey the lock so the lost key no longer works, depending on your situation. If you lost keys on a trail near Deer Park or somewhere between the ball fields and downtown, rekeying is the safer call. We’ll tell you the difference and the cost before any work happens.
Rekey after lost keys
The typical rekey for a lost key situation in Fairfax runs $75 to $180 per lock plus a service call. We reset the cylinder pins and hand you new keys. The lost key is dead the moment the rekey is done. That’s the most common fix with a fast turnaround, usually under an hour on-site.
New key from the lock
If you’re not worried about who might find the lost key, we can cut replacements directly from the cylinder without replacing anything. This works for Kwikset, Schlage, and many Baldwin mortise locks. The cost for on-site key cutting in Fairfax typically runs $40 to $90 plus the service call, and we can do it same day.
Trusted Brands We Service in Fairfax
We work on Schlage, Kwikset, and Yale hardware every week in Fairfax homes, and we stock compatible cylinders, tailpieces, and strike plates for those brands on the van. For high-security jobs, we’re certified on Medeco. When a Fairfax customer needs a vintage Baldwin mortise lock serviced, we don’t have to order parts from a warehouse and make you wait a week. We carry a working inventory of older cylinder sizes and key blanks because this town’s early-1900s housing stock requires it. If we quote a job and the part’s on the truck, the work gets done same day.
Common Residential Locksmith Problems We See in Fairfax Homes
- Jammed mortise locks on early-1900s bungalows. The original locks were built well, but 90 years of Marin County humidity and daily use eventually binds the internal levers. Most of these can be disassembled, lubricated, and rekeyed on-site without drilling.
- Key stuck in the lock. This happens most often on Baldwin mortise units where the keyway has worn enough that the key won’t slide back out. Non-destructive entry and a cylinder service usually solves it without replacing the entire lock body.
- No deadbolt on the front door. A surprising number of mid-century Fairfax homes still only have a knob lock. We install ANSI Grade 1 deadbolts as a standard upgrade, matched to the existing finish where possible.
- Dated window locks on ground-floor sash windows. Older Fairfax homes often have original window hardware that a kid can pop with a screwdriver. We replace them with keyed sash locks that meet current security expectations.
Pricing for Residential Locksmith in Fairfax, CA
Here are the numbers, in writing, before you call. A service call to any Fairfax address runs $49 to $89 depending on where you are relative to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. A standard rekey runs $75 to $180 per lock. Deadbolt installation runs $95 to $220 per door for the hardware and labor, with the exact price depending on whether we’re replacing an existing deadbolt or cutting a fresh bore. A residential lockout with non-destructive entry runs $95 to $180. Window lock replacement is $35 to $75 per lock. Every price is quoted before dispatch, and that’s the price on the invoice. No surprise fees at the door. Call (956) 275-7388 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
We Also Serve Cities Near Fairfax
Our service area covers Fairfax and the surrounding Marin County communities, including San Anselmo, Kentfield, San Rafael, and Larkspur. If you’re in a neighboring town or on the edge of Fairfax, we’ll tell you straight whether we can get a tech to you same day. Find more details on our Residential Locksmith in Fairfax page or call us directly at (956) 275-7388.
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 Residential Locksmith in Fairfax
Yes. Most of the stuck mortise locks we see in Fairfax can be opened with non-destructive entry using picks and a cylinder follower, then serviced and rekeyed on-site. Drilling is a last resort, and we only do it after telling you the cost and the reason. Call (956) 275-7388 and describe the lock; we’ll give you a straight answer before anyone is dispatched.
Most residential rekeys in Fairfax take 30 to 60 minutes per lock from the time we arrive. If the lock is a vintage mortise unit that needs internal cleaning, add 15 to 20 minutes. We’ll tell you the window before we come out, and the written price is set before any work starts.
We give you a written price before anyone is dispatched to your Fairfax home, and there is no call-out surcharge added when the tech arrives. The service call fee is included in the quote, and the price you get on the phone is the price on the invoice.
We service Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, Baldwin, Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Sargent hardware in Fairfax. That includes vintage Baldwin mortise locks and modern high-security cylinders. If you’re not sure what’s on your door, call (956) 275-7388 and describe it; we’ll tell you whether we have the parts on the truck.
Yes, in most cases we can cut new keys directly from the existing lock cylinder without changing the lock. That runs $40 to $90 plus the service call. If you’re concerned the lost key could be used by someone who finds it, we’ll recommend a rekey instead. Call (956) 275-7388 for an exact quote.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, serving Fairfax, CA.