Rekeying a lock in Los Angeles is priced per cylinder plus a mobile service call, and Locksmith Liberty quotes the total upfront before any work begins, 24/7. A whole house with four to six locks is usually finished in a single visit, and every door can be put on one key.
What a Los Angeles rekey quote includes
Here is what goes on a Locksmith Liberty rekey quote across Mid-Wilshire, Koreatown, Hollywood, Beverly Grove and Culver City. The final figure depends on lock brand, how many cylinders you have, and the time of day, and you hear it before the van leaves.
| Line item | What drives it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile service call | One trip to your address | Covers the drive and the visit; daytime is the standard rate |
| Rekey standard cylinder (Kwikset, Schlage, Defiant) | Priced per cylinder | Knob, lever or deadbolt |
| Rekey high security cylinder (Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Schlage Primus) | Higher per-cylinder rate | Restricted pins, keys often need a card |
| Rekey commercial mortise or IC core | Per cylinder, commercial rate | Cores can be swapped in seconds if you keep spares |
| Extra keys cut on site | Per key; restricted blanks cost more | Standard blanks are inexpensive |
| After hours or holiday call | Night and holiday rate on the service call | Stated on the phone before dispatch |
| Bring-in rekey (you carry the lock to a shop) | Per cylinder, no trip fee | You remove and reinstall the lock yourself |
What decides the final price
Number of cylinders, not number of doors
A front door with a knob and a deadbolt is two cylinders. A typical Koreatown one-bedroom rental has a front deadbolt and knob, sometimes a back or balcony door, so two to three cylinders. A single family home in Beverly Grove or Hancock Park commonly has five to eight: front, back, side, garage entry, and a gate. Count cylinders before you call and you will get a much tighter quote.
Lock brand and keyway
Kwikset, Schlage, Defiant and most builder grade hardware take the low end of the range. High security cylinders from Medeco, Mul-T-Lock or Schlage Primus use restricted pins and sidebars, so they cost two to three times more to rekey and the keys themselves cost more. If you own one of these you already know, because your key has an unusual profile and duplicates were never available at a hardware store. Our guide to high security locks explains the differences.
Keying everything alike
Most customers want every door on one key. That is included in the per-cylinder price if all your locks share a keyway. When they do not (say, a Schlage deadbolt above a Kwikset knob), we swap one cylinder, quoted as a small parts add-on, so the set matches. This is worth doing once; it means one key on your ring for the rest of the time you live there.
Time of day and location
Daytime calls within our core area run at the standard fee. Evenings, weekends and holidays carry an after-hours rate that is stated in the quote. Parking matters too: if your building in Koreatown or Mid-Wilshire has no guest parking and the technician has to use a paid structure, we will tell you before we arrive rather than surprise you on the invoice.
Rekeying versus replacing: a real comparison
| Rekey existing lock | Replace with new lock | |
|---|---|---|
| Parts | New pins only | New lock, priced by grade |
| Labor | Per cylinder | Per door, including fitting and adjustment |
| Time per door | Quick | Longer, especially if the door needs boring or a new strike |
| Makes old keys useless | Yes | Yes |
| Improves security grade | No, same hardware | Yes, if you move up to ANSI Grade 1 or 2 |
| Best for | Move-ins, lost keys, staff turnover | Worn or damaged locks, upgrading to a smart lock |
Rekey when the hardware is in good shape and your only problem is who has keys. Replace when the latch sticks, the cylinder spins, the deadbolt only throws halfway, or when you want a keypad. Many of the 1920s and 1930s duplexes around Mid-Wilshire still have original mortise locks; those are worth keeping and rekeying because replacement mortise hardware is expensive and rarely fits the door prep.
When rekeying is the right call
- You just bought or rented. Rekey the day you get keys. Our post on rekeying after a move or break-in covers why the previous owner’s spare keys are the most common way into a new home.
- A key was lost or stolen. Especially if it was on a ring with anything showing your address, like a gym tag or mail.
- A roommate, tenant, nanny, or contractor moved on. Rekeying is cheaper than an argument about whether they made copies.
- You manage rentals. Landlords must provide working deadbolts under Civil Code 1941.3, and rekeying at turnover is standard practice. Property managers in Koreatown and Hollywood often set up a standing arrangement so turnovers cost a flat, predictable amount.
- You want one key for the whole house. Keying alike is a rekey, not a replacement.
Typical Los Angeles scenarios
Koreatown apartment, two cylinders
Front deadbolt plus knob, daytime, keyed alike, three extra keys: two cylinders on one upfront quote. The technician dispatches from Olympic Boulevard, a short run to Koreatown.
Beverly Grove single family home, six cylinders
Front, back, side, garage entry door and two gate locks, all keyed to one key with a mix of Schlage and Kwikset: expect a six-cylinder quote that includes one cylinder swap so everything matches, finished in one visit.
Hollywood small business, four commercial cylinders
Two storefront mortise cylinders, a back door, and an office. Commercial cylinders carry a higher per-cylinder rate than residential hardware, so the quote covers four commercial cylinders plus the call. If the business has an interchangeable core system, the cost drops because cores swap in seconds. See our commercial locksmith services for master key options.
Culver City condo, lost keys at 11 pm
Two cylinders rekeyed at the after-hours rate, quoted before the van leaves. If you are also locked out, the lockout and the rekey are usually bundled so you are not paying two full call fees. Our emergency locksmith team handles this all night.
How to keep the bill down
- Count your cylinders and tell us the brand (it is stamped on the key or the face of the lock).
- Book during the day when you can. A lost key at 6 pm can usually wait until 8 am if the door still locks.
- Rekey everything in one visit instead of one door at a time; the service call is the fixed part of the price.
- Ask for extra keys to be cut on site. Van-cut keys cost less than a second visit and they are cut to code, not traced from a worn key.
- If you own Kwikset SmartKey locks, the technician can reset them in about two minutes each, which keeps labor at the bottom of the range.
What happens during a rekey
The technician removes the cylinder, pulls the plug, replaces the bottom pins to match a new key cut, and reassembles it. Your old key stops working the moment the new pins are in. Every lock is tested from both sides, the strike and latch are checked, and if a deadbolt is binding because the door has sagged (common in older Mid-Wilshire buildings), we adjust the strike while we are there. You get your new keys, and we recommend testing them in every door before we leave.
For a broader look at maintenance that keeps rekeyed locks working smoothly in LA’s dry heat and coastal damp, read why regular lock maintenance matters.
When to call Locksmith Liberty
Locksmith Liberty is a licensed mobile locksmith company based in Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA, serving central and west Los Angeles including Mid-Wilshire, Koreatown, Hollywood, Beverly Grove, Miracle Mile, West Hollywood, Culver City and Santa Monica. Technicians respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for home, apartment and car lockouts, rekeying, lock installation and repair, car key replacement and programming, and commercial locks and access control. Every job is priced upfront before work begins. Call Locksmith Liberty any time at (213) 314-1971.
- You need locks rekeyed the same day, including evenings and weekends
- You want every door in your home or building on one key
- You manage rentals in Koreatown, Hollywood or Mid-Wilshire and need predictable turnover pricing
- You have high security or commercial cylinders that a hardware store cannot rekey
- You are locked out and want the rekey done in the same visit
Call (213) 314-1971 or use the contact page. We dispatch fast to Mid-Wilshire, Koreatown, Hollywood, Beverly Grove and Culver City at any hour.
Our residential locksmith team handles rekeys for houses, condos and apartments; for storefronts and offices see commercial locksmith. Neighborhood pages: Mid-Wilshire and Hollywood.
Rekeying cost FAQs
Is it cheaper to rekey or replace a lock?
Rekeying is almost always cheaper. A rekey in Los Angeles is priced per cylinder plus the trip fee, while replacing a deadbolt means paying for new hardware plus installation labor on every door. Replace only when the lock is damaged, low grade, or you want a different style or a smart lock.
How long does it take to rekey a lock?
A single cylinder is quick once the technician is at the door. A typical Los Angeles house or condo with four to six locks is finished in one visit, including keying everything to one key and cutting extra copies on the van.
Can all my locks be rekeyed to one key?
Yes, as long as the cylinders share the same keyway. Most homes have Kwikset (KW1) or Schlage (SC1) hardware. If your locks are mixed brands, we can swap one or two cylinders, quoted as a small parts add-on, so the whole house works on a single key.
Do I need to rekey after moving into a new place in LA?
Yes. Previous owners, tenants, contractors, cleaners and property managers may still hold keys. Rekeying a new home is a single visit on a single upfront quote, which is far less than the deductible on a burglary claim.
Can a landlord charge a tenant for rekeying in California?
California Civil Code 1941.3 requires the landlord to provide working deadbolts, and most Los Angeles landlords rekey at turnover as standard practice. A landlord may deduct rekeying from a deposit only when the tenant lost keys or failed to return them, so keep your key handover documented.
Do you rekey smart locks and keypad deadbolts?
Most keypad deadbolts (Schlage Encode, Yale Assure, Kwikset Halo) still have a mechanical cylinder that can be rekeyed at the standard per-cylinder rate. The codes are separate; we walk you through deleting old user codes at no extra charge while we are on site.
