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 Anselmo, CA
Most San Anselmo locksmith calls involve rekeying older mortise locksets and deadbolts in the town’s century-old bungalows, Craftsmans, and Victorians. Cypress Lock & Key has served San Anselmo since 2017, and the work here skews toward period-correct hardware restoration and rekeying rather than simple cylinder swaps. The homes along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and the side streets off San Anselmo Avenue were built when skeleton keys were standard, which means rekeying a 1920s Baldwin or a newer Schlage deadbolt in the same neighborhood requires different parts and different patience. If you need a locksmith in San Anselmo who works on the lock you already have, call (877) 265-4385.
Why San Anselmo Homes Are Different
San Anselmo’s housing stock runs from early-1900s wood-frame bungalows to 1950s ranchers, and a large share of the pre-war homes still have their original mortise locksets. These are not the bored cylindrical locks you find in newer Corte Madera construction. A mortise lock body slides into a rectangular pocket cut into the door edge, and when a 90-year-old mortise box wears out, you cannot just swap in a Kwikset knob from the hardware store. The lock has to be disassembled, cleaned, rebuilt with the right spring or spindle, or rekeyed to a new key while preserving the original trim. We do that work regularly in San Anselmo, and it is the main reason this market differs from neighboring Fairfax or Kentfield.
The climate adds a second layer. Marin’s wet winters and occasional atmospheric-river storms swell the old single-pane wood doors common on San Anselmo Avenue and Ross Avenue. A deadbolt that aligned fine in September can bind by January because the door itself has shifted in its frame. When that happens, forcing the key can snap it off in the cylinder, turning a sticky lock into a real lockout. We check door alignment and strike plate position as part of any rekey or lock repair here, because in San Anselmo the door is often the actual problem, not the lock.
Flood events along San Anselmo Creek also accelerate corrosion on exterior locks, deadbolts, and hinges, especially in the downtown commercial buildings and creek-adjacent cottages. After a heavy rain, we field waves of calls from merchants and homeowners whose back doors have swollen shut or whose deadbolts no longer line up. That pattern is specific to this floodplain and this pre-war construction, and it shapes the kind of calls we expect every winter.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main San Anselmo Services
Beyond rekeying, the two calls we get most often in San Anselmo are car key replacement and emergency lockouts. Both have their own dedicated pages for this area, and you can jump directly to either one.
Car Key Replacement in San Anselmo
Losing a car key or having it snap in the ignition is common enough here, and the fix depends on the vehicle. We cut and program transponder keys, high-security side-cut keys, and proximity fobs for most makes, often at your driveway in San Anselmo. The advantage over a dealership run is time and price: you are not towing the car to a service bay or waiting on parts from a regional depot. We carry the key blanks and programming tools on the truck, and we handle the full job on site. Full detail is on the Car Key Replacement in San Anselmo page.
Emergency Locksmith in San Anselmo
Locked out at 2 a.m. on a cold night off Butterfield Road? We have handled that call before, and we will handle yours. Emergency lockout work in San Anselmo often involves the town’s older doors, which means the entry method matters. A locksmith who only knows how to drill cylinders can ruin an original 1920s mortise lock that is worth saving. We pick or bypass non-destructively where the lock allows, and we rekey or replace hardware only when it is actually necessary. See the Emergency Locksmith in San Anselmo page for response and availability details.
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 Anselmo
Rekeying is the smartest security move most San Anselmo homeowners and landlords can make, and here it routinely means working on original mortise locksets in pre-war bungalows rather than modern bored hardware. When you rekey, we change the internal pins and springs so the old keys stop working and a new key takes over, all without replacing the lock. For a 1920s craftsman home with matching Baldwin or Sargent hardware, rekeying preserves the period look while giving you a completely fresh start on access. In a town where renters move through converted Victorians and new owners inherit decades of unknown key copies, rekeying is the fastest way to know exactly who has access. Cypress Lock & Key has served San Anselmo since 2017, and this is the job we do most often in the 94960 and 94979 ZIP codes. You can read the full scope on the Rekey Locks hub page.
Lock Rekey
Signs you need it
You have moved into a new home in San Anselmo, you have had a contractor or cleaner with a key, or you simply cannot account for every spare key that was ever cut.
What it costs in San Anselmo
Rekeying a single lock in San Anselmo typically ranges from $40 to $100 per cylinder, with most homes running $150 to $300 when three or four locks are done in one visit.
How we do it
We remove the cylinder, swap the old pins for a matched set cut to the new key, reinstall the cylinder, and test the key in both directions before we leave.
Rekey Door Lock
Signs you need it
A previous tenant, roommate, or relationship has ended and you do not want to replace a perfectly good door lock just to change who has access.
What it costs in San Anselmo
Rekeying a standard door lock in San Anselmo costs between $40 and $100 for the first cylinder, with additional locks on the same visit typically $15 to $25 each.
How we do it
We re-pin the existing cylinder to a new key, confirm the deadbolt and knob use the same key if you want them keyed alike, and adjust the strike plate if the old San Anselmo door has settled.
What Rekey Locks Costs in San Anselmo
| Item | Typical range in San Anselmo |
|---|---|
| Rekey first cylinder (labor + pins) | $40 to $100 |
| Each additional cylinder on same visit | $15 to $25 |
| Typical whole-home rekey (3 to 4 locks) | $150 to $300 |
Older San Anselmo homes with mortise locksets can push the per-cylinder cost toward the top of the range, since the lock body often needs cleaning and the trim has to be carefully removed and reinstalled. We quote the full price on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and that is the price on the invoice. No call-out surcharge added on arrival.
Can you rekey my old skeleton-key mortise lock in San Anselmo?
Usually yes. Many original mortise locks in San Anselmo’s pre-war homes can be rekeyed by rebuilding the cylinder or installing a modern pin-tumbler cylinder inside the existing mortise body. We will tell you if the lock is too worn to rekey reliably.
How long does a whole-house rekey take in San Anselmo?
Most San Anselmo homes with four or fewer locks take 45 to 90 minutes on site. Older mortise locks add time because we disassemble, clean, and lubricate the lock body instead of just pulling a cylinder. Call (877) 265-4385 for an exact quote, estimates are free.
Brands We Service in San Anselmo
We work on the lock you already have, and in San Anselmo that means everything from original Baldwin mortise sets in 1920s homes to Sargent and Mul-T-Lock hardware on small commercial doors along San Anselmo Avenue. We stock common pins, springs, and cylinders for these lines locally, which means most rekeys and repairs are same-visit jobs. See our brands for the full list we service.
Pricing for Locksmith in San Anselmo, CA
| Service | Typical range in San Anselmo |
|---|---|
| Rekey first cylinder | $40 to $100 |
| Each additional cylinder, same visit | $15 to $25 |
| Typical whole-home rekey (3 to 4 locks) | $150 to $300 |
| Mortise lock repair / rebuild | $75 to $200 per lock |
| Deadbolt replacement (standard) | $60 to $150 per lock |
| Lockout service (no damage entry) | $75 to $200 |
| Car key fob programming | $75 to $250 |
| Transponder key cut + programmed | $100 to $300 |
In San Anselmo, the biggest price drivers are lock age and door condition. A frozen cylinder in a swollen 1930s door takes longer than a clean swap on a newer home, and mortise hardware always costs more to work on because the labor is more involved. Whatever the job, we quote the full price on the phone before dispatch, and that is the price on the invoice. No surprises when we arrive.
Neighborhoods We Serve in San Anselmo
We cover all of San Anselmo, including the commercial stretch along San Anselmo Avenue, the residential streets off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and the hillside homes near Sleepy Hollow and the Seminary area. Most San Anselmo calls get a same-visit response, and emergency lockouts are treated as priority work regardless of neighborhood.
- Downtown San Anselmo (San Anselmo Avenue corridor)
- Sleepy Hollow
- Seminary area
- Butterfield Road area
- Lansdale and upper Sir Francis Drake
Service Area – Cities Near San Anselmo
Our San Anselmo work often takes us into the surrounding communities. We serve Ross, CA with its large historic properties, Fairfax, CA with its mix of hillside homes and downtown shops, Sleepy Hollow, CA just west of town, and Kentfield, CA to the south. If you are just outside San Anselmo, call us and we will confirm coverage.
Serving San Anselmo, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Anselmo 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 Anselmo
Emergency lockout calls in San Anselmo are prioritized and typically get a same-visit response. We will give you a realistic arrival window when you call (877) 265-4385 and we dispatch from within the area, not from a distant call center.
For single-family homes, no permit is required for lock work in San Anselmo. Some historic properties and downtown commercial leases have hardware or alteration rules; we can work with existing hardware or rekey in place to avoid triggering those restrictions.
Yes, both ZIP codes are core San Anselmo territory for us, including homes near the creek corridor, Sleepy Hollow, and the Hillside areas. Call (877) 265-4385 and we will confirm your address and give you an arrival window before we dispatch.
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 Anselmo Customers Say
"Commercial job, panic bar and a master key system for a small office. Clean install and clear documentation of which key opens what."
— Sofia Hernandez"Installed a smart lock and actually set up the app and the codes with me instead of leaving me to figure it out from a leaflet."
— Renee Doyle"Quoted a price on the phone and honored it. After the last locksmith I called, that alone is worth a review."
— Sarah Vaughn