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 Auburn
Rekeying locks in Auburn typically costs $18 to $35 per cylinder for standard pin-and-tumbler hardware, and most three-bedroom homes are finished in under an hour. That’s the honest math, and we’ll put it in writing before a single tool leaves the van. If you’ve just bought a house off Highway 49 or a condo near Old Town and you’re not sure who still holds a key to your front door, call (409) 405-4485. We answer live, 24/7, and we’ll tell you exactly what the job will cost before dispatch.
Why Preston Locksmith & Security Is Auburn’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Most Auburn homeowners call us because the previous locksmith quoted one number on the phone and a different number at the door. That doesn’t happen with us. The price Kevin Yoon’s team gives you on the phone is the price on the invoice, full stop. It’s called the Relay Visibility Guarantee, and it includes a live trackable arrival time, before-and-after photos of the work, and a written guarantee on every cylinder we touch.
We’re not a call center that dispatches anonymous subcontractors. Every technician who pulls up to a home in Auburn is background-checked, uniformed, and carrying your written estimate. You’ll know who’s coming, what they look like, and when they’ll arrive. If you live in the Bowman area or up toward Lake of the Pines, our Sacramento-based dispatch coordinates local crews who know those roads without a map app detour.
And if something isn’t right after we leave? The 365-Day Done Right Promise means we come back and fix it. No charge, no argument, no “well, that’s a different issue.” That guarantee applies to every rekey job in Auburn, from a single Schlage deadbolt to a full Kwikset house set.
Lock Rekey in Auburn
Lock Rekey in Auburn means changing the internal pins inside your existing lock cylinders so the old keys stop working, without replacing the hardware itself. We see this constantly in Auburn’s mid-century tract homes and foothill cabins where the hardware is still solid but half a dozen old keys are floating around the neighborhood. A standard pin-and-tumbler rekey in Auburn runs $18 to $35 per cylinder, plus a service call that we quote on the phone before anyone rolls out.
When to Rekey Instead of Replace
If your deadbolt still throws smoothly and the faceplate isn’t rusted through, rekeying is the cheaper and faster fix. Replacement only makes sense when the cylinder is physically worn to the point that a fresh key won’t turn cleanly, or when the hardware fails to meet the ANSI grade you want on an exterior door.
For Auburn homeowners with Baldwin or Medeco mortise hardware, rekeying requires different pins and a different kit than a big-box Kwikset. We carry those parts on the truck, so we don’t have to run back to a warehouse and waste your afternoon.
What It Physically Involves
We pull the cylinder, swap the pins to match a new key, and reinstall the hardware. You keep your existing deadbolts and handles. Old keys die right there. The job on a typical three-bedroom Auburn house with two entry doors and a garage access door takes 30 to 60 minutes, depending on cylinder type.
Locksmith Rekey in Auburn
Locksmith Rekey in Auburn is what we do when a homeowner has a mix of brands, or a renter needs keys changed after a lease ends, or someone just bought a house and can’t confirm how many copies of the old key are still out there. The price is the same $18 to $35 per cylinder, written down before we start. One price, all locks keyed alike, done.
Multi-Brand Homes and Rentals
It’s normal in Auburn to find a Kwikset on the front door, a Schlage on the garage, and a Yale on the side gate. We rekey all of them to a single key when that’s what you want. Landlords near the courthouse and property managers handling Auburn rental units use our Rekey Locks service between tenants because we document every cylinder and hand over before-and-after photos, which makes turnkey turnover cleaner.
Hardware Check Included
While we’re rekeying, we check the latch and strike plate on each door. On Auburn’s exterior doors facing canyon wind and summer heat, a worn Grade 3 latch is often the real weak point, not the pins. We’ll tell you if the hardware itself is failing, and we’ll show you photos so you can see it for yourself before deciding whether to upgrade.
Trusted Brands We Service in Auburn
We rekey and repair Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Yale hardware every week in Auburn, along with Baldwin and Sargent for the higher-end foothill homes. That matters because a Medeco high-security cylinder doesn’t take the same pins as a standard Kwikset, and a Baldwin mortise lock needs a totally different approach than a tubular deadbolt. We stock the pins, springs, and cylinder components locally for the brands we see most in Auburn, which keeps the job moving fast.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Auburn Homes
- Old keys still circulating after a sale. A 1970s ranch near the Auburn Racquet Club may have had three owners, two renters, and a dog sitter who all got copies of the front door key. Rekeying kills every one of those old keys at once.
- Worn cylinders that won’t accept a fresh key. Off Lincoln Way, we’ve pulled Schlage cylinders so worn that a brand-new key sticks and wobbles. The fix is a cylinder swap plus rekeying the rest of the house to match, and we cut the new keys on the spot.
- Outbuildings and gates included in the scope. Foothill cabins and Auburn homes with detached garages, sheds, and side-yard gates often have exterior-only deadbolts that metro locksmiths don’t think to include. We rekey every exterior cylinder, not just the front door.
- Contractors who bait a low dispatch fee then stack charges. We’ve heard the stories from Auburn residents: $19 “service call” that becomes a wall of trip fees, after-hours fees, and fuel charges on arrival. Our price is set on the phone before dispatch and it does not change.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Auburn, CA
Rekey Locks in Auburn runs $18 to $35 per cylinder for standard pin-and-tumbler hardware. A typical three-bedroom home with two entry doors and a garage access door lands somewhere between $100 and $180 all in, including the service call. High-security cylinders like Medeco or Baldwin mortise locks run higher because the pins and labor are different, and we’ll quote those honestly on the phone.
What affects the final number: the number of cylinders, the brand mix, and whether any cylinder is too worn to rekey cleanly. We tell you all of this before dispatch. The estimate is free, it’s in writing, and it’s the exact price on the invoice when we finish. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll give you a real number, not a teaser.
We Also Serve Cities Near Auburn
Beyond Auburn, our crews cover Newcastle, Penryn, Colfax, and Lincoln. If you’re just outside the city line or managing a property in one of those towns, call the same number and we’ll route a local tech. For more on what we do across the region, see Rekey Locks in Auburn service details and pricing.
Serving Auburn, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Auburn 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 Auburn
Most standard Auburn homes take 30 to 60 minutes to rekey completely. A homeowner near the Auburn Racquet Club called after closing on a 1970s ranch; we rekeyed four Kwikset pin-and-tumbler cylinders and two exterior deadbolts in about 45 minutes using the existing hardware. If the hardware is heavily worn or you have high-security cylinders, it can run longer, but we’ll give you a realistic window on the phone. Call (409) 405-4485 for a time estimate on your specific house.
No. Rekeying a lock that’s in working condition never requires drilling. We remove the cylinder, swap the pins inside, and reinstall it intact. Drilling only happens when a lock is broken, frozen, or keyless and can’t be picked or shimmed open. If your lock works with a key, it gets rekeyed without damage.
Yes, and it’s one of the most common jobs we do in Auburn. A front door with a Kwikset, a garage with a Schlage, and a gate with a Yale can all be rekeyed to one key in a single visit. We stock the right pins for all of those brands plus Medeco and Baldwin, so we don’t have to make a parts run. The price is per cylinder, written before we start.
Rekeying in Auburn costs $18 to $35 per cylinder, while replacing a deadbolt with new hardware typically runs $40 to $90 per lock plus labor. If your existing hardware is solid and you mainly want old keys neutralized, rekeying is usually the cheaper move. If the hardware is worn, damaged, or not up to the ANSI grade you want, replacement makes more sense. We’ll show you photos and give you a straight answer before you spend a dollar.
Every Preston Locksmith & Security tech in Auburn wears a uniform with company identification and arrives in a marked vehicle. You’ll also get the tech’s name before arrival and a live trackable link through the Relay Visibility Guarantee. If someone shows up claiming to be us without those things, don’t open the door. Call the number you called us on and confirm. The tech you’re expecting is the tech you’ll see, and we send before-and-after photos of every job so you can verify the work yourself.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving Auburn since the company’s founding in 2008.