Have you recently moved into a new home? Perhaps you’ve just ended a lease with a roommate, dismissed a cleaning service, or no longer require a house sitter? If so, it’s essential to rekey your locks for security. But How Much Does It Cost To Rekey A Lock? This guide provides a detailed breakdown of the rekeying process and associated costs, ensuring you have the knowledge to make informed decisions.
Most homeowners prefer to hire a locksmith for on-site service, eliminating the need to remove and reinstall locks themselves.
Typically, rekeying a home costs between $200 and $250 for three doors. This price includes a service call, lock removal, rekeying, and reinstallation. The cost can vary based on the number of cylinders (keyholes) and your location, which affects labor and service fees. To save money, you can remove the locks yourself and take them to a locksmith shop. This avoids the service call fee and reduces the rekeying cost to approximately $13 per keyhole.
Therefore, rekeying locks for three doors at a locksmith shop would only cost around $78.
For information on other common locksmith services, see our article, “How Much Does a Locksmith Cost.”
The table below provides a detailed pricing summary based on national averages. These prices are calculated using a national average service call fee of $90-125 and an average rekeying cost of $25 per cylinder (keyhole). Most homes have six keyholes, with three doors typically having two keyholes each.
Cost to Rekey Locks: Quick Summary
| Rekey Service Provided | *Rekey Cost Per Cylinder (Keyhole) |
|---|---|
| Cost to Rekey Locks in a Lock Shop | $ 13 |
| Cost to Rekey Locks at Your House | $ 25 |
| Cost of Trip Charge | $ 90-125 |
| Cost for Mailbox Key in a Lock Shop | $ 20 |
| Cost for Mailbox Key at House | $ 40 |
| Rekey Surcharge if No Current Keys are available | $ 8 |
| Rekeying Kwikset Smartkey Locks | $0-$30 |
| Cost to Rekey Padlock | Same as Lock Rekey |
*This article uses cost numbers from a nationwide locksmith pricing survey conducted in 2022 that has been adjusted for inflation to get the cost of a rekey in 2022. If you live in a city with a high cost of living, your costs may be slightly higher. For those living in a low-cost city, prices will be a little bit less.
Rekeying Costs in the Phoenix Area
In Phoenix, AZ, a home rekey typically costs about 5% less than the national average. Expect to pay around $190-$238 for a home rekey in Phoenix. Rekeying a lock cylinder at a Phoenix locksmith shop will cost approximately $13.
If you’re in the Phoenix, Arizona area, you can conveniently schedule your rekey with ACME online.
Rekey vs. Replace: Which is More Cost-Effective?
When securing your home from unauthorized key access, you have the option to rekey your locks to work with a new key. This eliminates the need to replace the entire door hardware. The question then becomes, how much does it cost to rekey a lock versus replacing it?
Rekeying a lock is almost always more affordable than replacing it. Depending on the door hardware, you could save up to 10 times the cost by rekeying instead of buying a new lock. The savings become more significant as the number of locks increases. The greatest cost savings are achieved by bringing your locks to a local locksmith shop.
Saving Money: The Locksmith Shop Advantage
When possible, bringing your locks to a locksmith shop is the most budget-friendly rekeying option.
The primary cost differences between hiring a locksmith for on-site rekeying and bringing locks to a shop are:
- Eliminating the trip charge: This covers the locksmith’s travel to your location.
- Lower rekeying cost: Removing and reinstalling the hardware yourself reduces labor expenses.
Locksmith Pro Tip: When removing the lock body, take pictures at each step. This will help you reinstall the hardware correctly!
Bringing your locks to a locksmith shop is a cost-effective choice if:
- You only have one or two locks on a single door.
- You have someone who can watch the home while you’re at the locksmith.
- You’re comfortable removing and replacing the hardware yourself.
Remember that a ‘cylinder’ is where the key enters the lock. Each keyhole needs to be changed, incurring a cost per cylinder. Some locks have two cylinders (a key on each side), while others have a thumb turn and only one cylinder. Rekeying is priced per cylinder, so count the number of keyholes.
If you don’t have the existing key, the locks can still be rekeyed, but it will cost slightly more due to the additional time required. Expect an extra charge of around $8.
On-Site Locksmith Services: Price Breakdown
For larger jobs with numerous doors and cylinders, or if you prefer professional assistance, hiring a locksmith to come to your location is a worthwhile investment.
If you have a locksmith come to your home, you start to save money at roughly 4 locks. In addition to convenience, you have the added value of having a local locksmith take care of everything and ensure everything is functioning properly even if the price is comparable. After 4 locks, it’s less expensive to rekey the home.
The trip charge for a locksmith to come to your home will range from $90-125, depending on your location. The rekeying cost per lock is about $25 per cylinder, plus the trip charge. On-site rekeying is more expensive because the locksmith handles the hardware removal and replacement.
Locksmiths in Arizona generally charge 5% less than the national average due to a lower cost of living.
Certain situations can increase the cost. If you don’t have a working key, the locksmith will need to pick the lock open to access the cylinder. This can result in a surcharge of approximately $8.
Factors Influencing House Rekey Costs
Specialty hardware in upscale homes, such as profile cylinders or complex three-point locking systems, can increase rekeying time and costs.
High-security lock systems also affect the price. These systems have unique keys and internal moving parts, requiring specialized retooling and more expensive key blanks.
While these scenarios may add to the rekeying cost, most homes have standard brands like Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, and Baldwin, which are typically rekeyed at the basic prices mentioned above.
Kwikset SmartKey Locks: A Unique Case
Newer Kwikset residential products (and some newer Baldwin products) utilize a wafer-based cylinder system called ‘SmartKey,’ identifiable by a second small hole next to the keyhole.
One significant advantage of SmartKey locks is that homeowners can rekey their own locks for free if they have the existing working key and the provided Kwikset tool.
Instructions and rekey kits for SmartKey locks are available on our website.
However, rekeying a Kwikset SmartKey lock without the existing key is labor-intensive, requiring a special reset cradle and considerable time. In some cases, replacing the lock may be more cost-effective. Rekeying a Kwikset SmartKey lock without the key can cost around $30.
Rekeying Other Common Locks
Rekeying Padlocks:
Padlocks from manufacturers like Master Lock, American Lock, and ABUS can be rekeyed to match your house key. This eliminates the need for additional keys for gates or sheds.
You can find rekeyable ABUS padlocks on Amazon. Order the keyway that matches your house key and have your local locksmith rekey it. Alternatively, support your local locksmith by purchasing a padlock that works with your home key directly from them.
The cost to rekey padlocks is generally the same as other lock cylinders.
Rekeying Mailbox Locks:
Many community mailboxes have locks that are the homeowner’s responsibility. While these locks are not always designed to be rekeyed, they can be easily replaced.
While a locksmith is rekeying your house, have them rekey the mailbox too. The cost to replace the mailbox lock (including lock and labor) is approximately $40, plus the trip charge if the locksmith is not already on-site.
The locksmith will drill out the old lock (if you don’t have a key) and install a new one. If you can have the postman open the box, you can remove the lock and take it to a locksmith shop for replacement.
In some communities, proprietary locks may require you to contact a home or community association or the post office instead of a locksmith.
FAQ
When Should You Rekey Locks?
Rekeying a lock ensures that existing key copies will no longer work, and you will have the only working key. It’s primarily done when you buy a home or lose your house keys.
Rekeying vs. Buying Locks – Which is Cheaper?
Rekeying is almost always cheaper than replacing locks.
How Much Does it Cost to Rekey One Lock?
Rekeying can range from $10 to $40 per lock, depending on the location (lock shop or on-site) and the number of cylinders (keyholes).
Can I Rekey My Own Locks?
Yes, in some cases. The Kwikset SmartKey product is easily rekeyed with the existing key and tool.
More of Our Favorite Security Products
See our Amazon Store for Videos and Links to All of Our Favorite Security Products.
Door Armor: Reinforce your doors. This video on YouTube shows the installation of Door Armor, and you can buy this or similar products from Amazon at a great price.
Video Doorbells: This video doorbell offers great images and video and has NO monthly video storage fees. Watch our SkyBell Video Doorbell Review on YouTube and buy it on Amazon.
Smart Locks: Access Your Locks via Smart Phone. You’ll find some of our favorite smart locks that allow you to control home access and monitor entry in our Amazon Smart Lock Shop. Watch our Smart Lock Comparison Video on YouTube for reviews of the most popular Smart Locks.
High-Security Safes: When you want a safe that is designed to protect the valuables you put inside, you want a high-security safe found on ACME Locksmith’s Safes for Sale website.
Sliding Glass Door Lock: The best Arcadia door lock that stops your sliding glass door from being lifted out of its tracks and prevents little ones from opening the door and leaving the home. Check out the video on YouTube and Buy it on our website.
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