Smart locks
House lockouts
Re-keying
Deadbolt upgrades
Schlage
Kwikset
Car keys & fobsNon-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.
Get your free estimateLocksmith in San Bruno, CA
Rekeying locks is the work we do most in San Bruno, and it’s not close. The post-war ranch houses and small apartment buildings that fill this city still carry a huge installed base of original mortise locks, builder-grade knobs, and deadbolts that have been on those doors since the Truman administration. If you’ve just bought a home near Crestmoor or rent a unit off San Bruno Avenue and want to control who has a key, call (877) 265-4385 and we’ll walk you through exactly what rekeying costs and how quickly we can get it done.
Why San Bruno Homes Are Different
San Bruno’s housing stock went up fast in the 1940s through the 1960s, and the locks those houses got are still on many of those doors. We regularly work on original mortise lock bodies in ranch homes around Rollingwood and Portola Highlands, where the mechanism is older than the current homeowner’s parents. Big-box hardware stores don’t stock replacements for those vintage mortise cases, so a technician who can service the existing mechanism without tearing out the door is the one San Bruno residents actually need.
The marine layer compounds the problem. Fog and damp Pacific air settle into lock cylinders on south- and west-facing entry doors, causing corrosion and sticking that make a worn mortise lock feel completely broken when it just needs cleaning, proper lubrication, and a fresh set of pins. We keep graphite-free lubricant on every truck and check weather-stripping as a standard part of any exterior lock service in San Bruno. A lot of the original 1950s front-door locksets here have never been replaced, only rekeyed repeatedly, and the latch mechanisms are tired. Rekeying those locks correctly means cleaning the mortise body, not just swapping pins, which is exactly the kind of work that separates a knowledgeable locksmith from someone who only knows how to sell you a new Kwikset from a box.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main San Bruno Services
Lock rekeying is the bread-and-butter service for San Bruno’s older housing stock, but two other calls come in almost as often from this city: car key problems and after-hours lockouts.
Car Key Replacement in San Bruno
San Bruno’s hills mean a lot of parallel parking on grades, which makes car keys that snap in the ignition or door a routine problem here. Whether you’re parked near Tanforan or up in the hills off Sneath Lane, we cut and program replacement keys, transponder keys, and fobs without sending you to a dealership. Car Key Replacement in San Bruno is a dedicated service page that covers what we handle and what it costs.
Emergency Locksmith in San Bruno
Locked out at 2 a.m. off Huntington Avenue? We’ve handled it before, and we’ll handle yours. Our emergency response covers residential lockouts, broken keys in locks, and security-related lock changes when someone’s copying keys you didn’t authorize. Foggy San Bruno nights make standing outside a stuck door miserable, so we prioritize getting you back inside without damaging the door or the lock. Emergency Locksmith in San Bruno covers response expectations and what constitutes a true emergency.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Rekey Locks in San Bruno
Rekeying a lock means changing the internal pins and springs so the old key no longer works, and we do it without replacing the hardware. That matters in San Bruno because so many homes still have solid brass or bronze mortise locksets from the 1950s that are better built than anything you’d buy new for under $200. We service the lock you already have – Rekey Locks is what we do more than anything else in this city, and we’ve rekeyed thousands of them in 94066.
Lock Rekey
Signs you need it
You recently closed on a house, ended a relationship, fired a contractor, or lost track of how many copies of your house key are floating around San Bruno.
What it costs in San Bruno
Lock rekeying in San Bruno typically runs $65 to $180 for a standard single-cylinder deadbolt or knob rekey, with most jobs landing around $95 to $130.
How we do it
We disassemble the cylinder, replace the pins to match a new key, clean and lubricate the mechanism, and test every key you want to keep before we leave.
Rekey Door Lock
Signs you need it
A tenant moved out of your San Bruno apartment building, a caregiver or housekeeper no longer works for you, or you simply can’t remember who got a spare key years ago.
What it costs in San Bruno
Rekeying a door lock in San Bruno is the same $65 to $180 range as a standard lock rekey, and we offer same-key pricing for additional locks on the same property.
How we do it
We pull the cylinder from the door, swap in new pins matched to a fresh key, reassemble the hardware, and confirm the old key no longer turns and the new one does – every time.
What Rekey Locks Costs in San Bruno
Here are the line-item ranges for rekey work in the 94066 ZIP code:
| Item | Typical range in San Bruno |
|---|---|
| Standard lock rekey (labor included) | $65 – $180 |
| Rekey multiple locks on same visit | $25 – $85 per additional cylinder |
| Mortise lock rekey (vintage hardware) | $85 – $220 |
Fog-driven corrosion in older San Bruno mortise locks can add a few dollars of cleaning time to a rekey job, but we quote that on the phone before anyone drives out, and the price we quote is the price on the invoice. No arrival fees, no surprise surcharges.
Can you rekey locks without replacing them?
Yes, and that’s the entire point of rekeying. We change the pins inside the cylinder so old keys stop working, and your existing deadbolt, knob, or mortise lock stays in place. Call (877) 265-4385 for an exact quote.
How long does rekeying a home in San Bruno take?
Most single-family homes in San Bruno are rekeyed in 30 to 60 minutes, including testing. Older homes with corroded mortise locks may take an extra 15 minutes per lock for cleaning and lubrication.
Brands We Service in San Bruno
We work on the lock you already have, not just the one we’d rather sell you. That includes Yale mortise locks that are original to San Bruno’s 1950s ranch houses, Baldwin hardware on newer estate doors, Mul-T-Lock high-security cylinders, and Sargent commercial-grade hardware. Our trucks carry the pins, springs, and latch parts for all of them, which means most jobs are finished the same day. See our brands for the full list.
Pricing for Locksmith in San Bruno, CA
| Service | Typical range in San Bruno |
|---|---|
| Standard lock rekey (single cylinder) | $65 – $180 |
| Mortise lock rekey (vintage hardware) | $85 – $220 |
| Additional cylinders on same visit | $25 – $85 each |
| Car key replacement (basic, no programming) | $75 – $180 |
| Transponder / chip key programming | $95 – $240 |
| Key fob replacement and programming | $120 – $300 |
| Emergency lockout response (non-destructive entry) | $95 – $250 |
| Broken key extraction from lock or ignition | $50 – $150 |
| Deadbolt installation (new hardware) | $85 – $220 |
What pushes a San Bruno price toward the top of these ranges is usually corrosion from the marine layer – a lock that hasn’t worked smoothly in years takes longer to rebuild than a clean one. The quote we give you on the phone is the final price, period. No dispatch fee added when the tech arrives, no bait pricing.
Neighborhoods We Serve in San Bruno
We work throughout the entire 94066 ZIP code, from the hills above Crestmoor to the flat sections around downtown San Bruno and the transit corridor near Bayhill. Response time across the city is typically under 60 minutes for emergency calls.
- Crestmoor
- Rollingwood
- Portola Highlands
- Huntington Park
- Bayhill
Service Area – Cities Near San Bruno
We take calls from Millbrae, CA to the north, South San Francisco, CA to the east, Pacifica, CA over the hill to the west, and Brisbane, CA along the 101 corridor. If you’re in a neighboring city, call us – we’ll tell you straight whether we can get to you and when.
Serving San Bruno, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Bruno 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 Locksmith in San Bruno
For lockouts and urgent security issues, we’re typically at any address in San Bruno within 60 minutes or less. Non-urgent rekey and lock service calls are scheduled in a 2 to 4 hour window so you’re not waiting around all day. Call (877) 265-4385 and we’ll give you an honest arrival estimate before you commit.
No permit is required for lock changes, rekeys, or deadbolt installation on residential property in San Bruno. Commercial door hardware on multi-unit apartment buildings generally requires no permit for rekeying either, but we’ll flag anything unusual for your specific building type before starting work.
Yes. We’re unusual in San Bruno because we handle residential locks and automotive key replacement with the same team, which means a single appointment can cover rekeying your front door and cutting a new transponder key for your car. That’s why we don’t send you to two different shops for two different problems.
Need a rekey, a lockout, or a car key in San Bruno? Call (877) 265-4385 and tell us what you’re dealing with. We’ll tell you what it costs before we head your way, and the number we quote is the number you’ll pay.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees — talk to a local locksmith pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you — the visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What San Bruno Customers Say
"Quoted a price on the phone and honored it. After the last locksmith I called, that alone is worth a review."
— Sarah Vaughn"Got me back in and the price was fair for the hour. He did arrive closer to 45 minutes than the 20 he estimated, which felt long standing outside, but he was honest that traffic was the problem."
— Marcus Prince"The old deadbolt was mounted crooked by whoever lived here before and had been sticking for years. He redrilled and reset it properly rather than just replacing the hardware."
— Lisa Sullivan