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 Citrus Heights
Rekeying a lock in Citrus Heights typically costs $25 – $45 per cylinder for standard Kwikset or Schlage hardware, and a full home with three exterior doors usually runs $75 – $135 total. That’s the written price you’ll get before we dispatch anyone. Most ranch homes in Citrus Heights take us under an hour to rekey completely, using the existing hardware you already have. If you’re on Auburn Boulevard, near Sunrise Mall, or tucked into Sylvan Oaks, we’ll be there fast. Call (409) 405-4485 for a free estimate.
Why Preston Locksmith & Security Is Citrus Heights’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
We’ve been doing locksmith work in Citrus Heights long enough to know which builders put which locks on which streets. The 1960s and 1970s ranch homes that dominate Sylvan Oaks, Mesa Verde, and the neighborhoods off Greenback Lane often still have their original Kwikset or Schlage cylinders. That’s not a problem. It just means we come prepared with the right pinning kits, the right springs, and the right key blanks for those exact locks, so the job gets done in one trip.
Every Preston technician is background-checked and arrives in uniform. You’ll see a live, trackable arrival time on your phone before we get there, and you’ll get a written price before a single tool leaves the bag. Our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every rekey we do in Citrus Heights. If it’s not done right, we make it right, and a second visit to fix a repair that failed is free. No charge, no argument, no follow-up billing games.
Phones are answered by a live person 24/7, not a voicemail tree. When you call about a rekey in Citrus Heights, you talk to someone who can schedule you, quote you, and tell you exactly who’s coming and when.
Lock Rekey in Citrus Heights
Lock Rekey in Citrus Heights means we physically remove the lock cylinder from your door, open it, and replace the internal pins and springs so the old key no longer turns the plug. No new hardware is needed. The original deadbolt, knob, or lever stays exactly where it is. After we’re done, the lock works with a new key, and every old key becomes useless. That’s the entire job, and on a standard Kwikset or Schlage cylinder it takes about 10 to 15 minutes per lock. Most Citrus Heights homes have two to three exterior locks, so the whole visit usually wraps in under an hour.
You’d want this after moving into a new house in Citrus Heights, after a tenant moves out, after a roommate situation changes, or after you realize a contractor, cleaner, or caregiver has a key you’d rather they not keep. Rekeying costs far less than replacing locks, and it keeps the original hardware that already fits your doors.
What a Rekey Actually Costs Here
For a standard single-cylinder Kwikset or Schlage lock in Citrus Heights, rekeying runs $25 – $45 per cylinder. A double-cylinder deadbolt, where there’s a keyhole on both sides, is $35 – $55. High-security cylinders from Medeco or Mul-T-Lock cost more, typically $75 – $150 per cylinder, because the pinning kits are proprietary and the tolerances are tighter. We’ll give you the exact number in writing before we touch a single screw.
When Rekeying Won’t Fix the Real Problem
On older Citrus Heights homes, we sometimes find the springs inside the cylinder are compressed and the pins are worn flat from decades of use. If that’s the case, a rekey alone may leave the new key feeling gritty or binding halfway through the turn. We’ll open the cylinder, show you what we found, and quote you a new cylinder if that’s what the lock actually needs. You’ll get before-and-after photos either way.
Locksmith Rekey in Citrus Heights
Locksmith Rekey in Citrus Heights is the service where we come to you, do the rekey on-site, and hand you the new keys before we leave. No lock is taken to a shop. No hardware is swapped out unless you want it swapped. The whole thing happens at your front door, your back door, and your garage door while you watch. For most single-family homes in Citrus Heights, a full exterior rekey of three doors takes 45 to 60 minutes.
You’d book this after buying a home in Citrus Heights, after a break-in or an attempted break-in on your street, after a key goes missing around Sunrise Mall or a parking lot on Greenback Lane, or simply because you’ve lost track of who has copies. Many Citrus Heights homeowners call us after closing on a house in Sylvan Oaks or Mesa Verde and realizing the seller gave them one key for a house that used to have five or six floating around.
The On-Site Process, Step by Step
First, we confirm the written price over the phone and again when we arrive. Then we remove the cylinder, dump the old pins, cut new pins to match a fresh key, and reassemble it. We test the lock from inside and outside, reinstall it, and hand you the new keys. You get a digital invoice with before-and-after photos, and the guarantee is attached to that invoice.
Old Lock, New Keys, Same Door
Rekeying is non-destructive. We don’t drill, pry, or force anything on a healthy lock. If your lock is in good shape, it stays in good shape. The only difference when we leave is that every key that used to work no longer does.
Trusted Brands We Service in Citrus Heights
Most Citrus Heights ranch homes have Kwikset or Schlage locks, and we stock the pin kits and key blanks to rekey those on the spot. We also service Medeco, Yale, and Baldwin hardware, which shows up more often on newer custom homes and on small commercial properties along Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane. If you’ve got a Medeco high-security cylinder that needs new keys issued, we’ll bring the right proprietary pinning kit, because you can’t rekey a Medeco with a generic kit. Same goes for Mul-T-Lock and Abloy. Our Rekey Locks team carries the full range so we’re not guessing when we get to your door in Citrus Heights.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Citrus Heights Homes
- Worn springs causing a new key to bind. On 1970s-era Kwikset and Schlage cylinders in Citrus Heights, the internal springs often lose tension after 40 or 50 years. We diagnose this before cutting new pins, and we’ll tell you honestly if the cylinder needs replacing instead of rekeying.
- One working key for a whole house. A lot of ranch homes off Auburn Boulevard and in Sylvan Oaks sold with a single key floating around. When you buy a home like that, you don’t know who else has copies. A rekey resets that key control in under an hour.
- Confusion between a rekey and a master key system. Some Citrus Heights property owners ask for a rekey when what they actually need is a master key system, where one key opens all doors but individual keys open only specific ones. That’s a different job, usually on commercial buildings. We’ll ask the right questions over the phone so the right technician and kit show up the first time.
- A phone quote that didn’t include the service call. This is the bait-and-switch pattern we hear about from Citrus Heights homeowners who called another company. They get a low per-lock price on the phone, then a “service call fee” and “labor minimum” appear on the invoice after the tech arrives. Our policy is different: the price we quote on the phone is the price on your invoice. Full stop.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Citrus Heights, CA
A standard rekey in Citrus Heights runs $25 – $45 per cylinder on Kwikset or Schlage hardware, and most single-family homes with three exterior doors total $75 – $135. Double-cylinder deadbolts run $35 – $55 each. High-security cylinders from Medeco or Mul-T-Lock are typically $75 – $150 per cylinder because the pinning kits are proprietary and the labor is more precise. What affects the price is the number of cylinders, whether they’re single or double cylinder, and whether the brand is standard residential or high-security. There’s no call-out surcharge added on arrival. The number we quote on the phone is the number on your invoice. Every time. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll give you a firm price in about two minutes.
We Also Serve Cities Near Citrus Heights
Our Rekey Locks in Citrus Heights customers often ask if we cover the surrounding areas. We do. If you’re just outside the Citrus Heights city line, we regularly serve Orangevale, Fair Oaks, Roseville, and Antelope. Same written-price policy, same trackable arrival time, same guarantee.
Serving Citrus Heights, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Citrus Heights 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 Citrus Heights
Yes, in most cases we can rekey your existing Kwikset or Schlage locks without replacing anything, as long as the cylinders and springs are still functional. We open the cylinder, swap the pins for a new set matched to a new key, and reassemble. Your old hardware stays on the door. If the cylinder is too worn, we’ll show you and quote a replacement before doing anything. Call (409) 405-4485 for a free estimate.
A full exterior rekey on a typical 1960s or 1970s ranch home in Citrus Heights with three standard Kwikset or Schlage locks takes about 45 to 60 minutes from arrival to handing you the new keys. Each cylinder takes 10 to 15 minutes. High-security cylinders like Medeco may add 10 to 15 minutes per lock. We’ll give you a realistic time window when you book.
No, we don’t drill locks during a rekey. Rekeying is a non-destructive process: we remove the lock from the door, open the cylinder with the proper tools, replace the internal pins, and reinstall the lock. Your door and hardware are not damaged. Drilling is only ever a last resort for a lock we can’t open, and we’d tell you before doing it.
We rekey Kwikset, Schlage, Medeco, Yale, Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, and Abloy hardware. Standard residential Kwikset and Schlage are the most common in Citrus Heights, and we carry the pin kits for those on every truck. Medeco and Mul-T-Lock use proprietary cylinders that require specific kits, which our techs carry for Citrus Heights service calls. Call (409) 405-4485 and tell us your lock brand and we’ll confirm the exact price.
Before your appointment, you’ll get the technician’s name, a photo, and a live trackable arrival time through The Relay Visibility Guarantee. The technician arrives in a Preston uniform with a clearly marked vehicle. You’ll also have a written estimate already saved to your phone, so you can compare the person at the door to the person we described. If they don’t match, don’t open the door. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll sort it out immediately.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving Citrus Heights.