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 Altadena, CA
Rekeying locks in Altadena usually costs between $85 and $180 for most single-cylinder residential jobs, and our team handles the older hardware here better than most because we see it every week. Altadena’s housing stock, heavy with pre-war and mid-century homes, means we spend as much time working on vintage mortise locks and skeleton-key setups as we do modern Kwikset and Schlage deadbolts. If you need a rekey or any locksmith work in Altadena, call (877) 358-5506 for an honest quote before anyone is dispatched.
Why Altadena Homes Are Different
Altadena isn’t a tract-home suburb. The homes here were built largely between the 1920s and 1960s, and many still carry original solid-wood entry doors with mortise locks you won’t find in newer neighborhoods. That changes the job. A rekey that takes fifteen minutes on a modern Kwikset can take an hour on a 1940s mortise body that needs disassembly, cleaning, and hand-fitted pins. We keep parts for those older locks on the truck because we know they’re common in the 91001 and 91003 ZIP codes. The foothill climate also matters. Hot, dry summers and Santa Ana winds blow dust and fine grit into door hardware, which seizes cylinders and wears down hinges faster than coastal air. Doors here warp too, which throws off latch alignment and makes locks bind. The canyon-edge streets and narrow winding roads mean emergency calls often involve a gate, a detached garage, or a secondary structure rather than a simple front door. When we arrive in Altadena, we assume the hardware is old, the dust is present, and the fix needs to respect the house.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main Altadena Services
Altadena homeowners call us most often for two things: car key replacement and emergency lockout response. Both are covered by one company, so you’re not calling three different specialists.
Car Key Replacement in Altadena
Losing a car key in Altadena usually happens at the worst moment, and the foothill streets don’t make it easier. Our mobile service comes to your driveway or wherever your vehicle is parked, cuts and programs the replacement key on the spot, and tests it before we leave. We work with transponder keys, key fobs, and older mechanical keys across most major makes. If you need a new car key, see our full Car Key Replacement in Altadena page for specifics on your vehicle type.
Emergency Locksmith in Altadena
Locked out of an Altadena home with a vintage mortise lock? We see it all the time, and we don’t drill unless there’s no other option, because destroying original hardware on a 1930s craftsman door is a loss nobody wants. Our emergency response covers house lockouts, garage and gate access, and vehicles. Call us any hour. Read more on our Emergency Locksmith in Altadena page, which covers response and common scenarios.
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 Altadena
Rekey Locks in Altadena is the service we perform most often, and it fits this city’s housing stock perfectly. Many Altadena homes still run original mortise locks or older Schlage and Kwikset cylinders, so a rekey here means changing the internal pins so old keys stop working, without replacing hardware that’s still solid. The dry, dusty foothill air causes lock internals to bind, which makes precise rekeying more important than a quick swap. We offer full Rekey Locks service across Altadena, from single deadbolts to whole-home keyed-alike jobs.
Lock Rekey
Signs you need it
You’ve bought a new home, a tenant moved out, you lost a key, or you can’t account for every spare that was ever handed out to a neighbor, contractor, or cleaner.
What it costs in Altadena
A standard single-cylinder lock rekey in Altadena typically runs $85 to $120, while mortise or high-security locks start higher.
How we do it
We remove the cylinder, replace the internal pins so the old key no longer turns, reassemble the lock, and test the new key in front of you before we leave.
Rekey Door Lock
Signs you need it
Your door lock still works but you want to cancel old keys after a move, a separation, a new housekeeper, or a stolen key ring.
What it costs in Altadena
Rekeying a door lock in Altadena falls between $85 and $180 depending on whether it’s a standard cylinder, a mortise body, or a high-security brand like Medeco.
How we do it
We pull the lock cylinder, swap the pins to match a new key, lubricate light wear from Altadena dust, reinstall it, and verify the latch and deadbolt throw cleanly.
Rekey Service
Signs you need it
You need multiple doors on one key, or you bought a house and want every exterior lock rekeyed in one visit without replacing hardware that’s original to the home.
What it costs in Altadena
Whole-home rekey service in Altadena generally runs $150 to $320 for three to five locks, with older mortise hardware at the upper end.
How we do it
We map every lock, rekey each cylinder to a single new key, adjust any latches that bind from warped or settled door frames, and walk the property with you to confirm each entry.
Keyed Alike
Signs you need it
You carry three or four keys for the same house, or you want one key to open the front door, back door, garage, and side gate.
What it costs in Altadena
Keyed alike service in Altadena typically costs $100 to $200 for two to four locks, depending on the mix of standard and vintage hardware.
How we do it
We repin each lock to a single common key, then file or adjust any worn parts so every cylinder turns smoothly with the same cut.
What Rekey Locks Costs in Altadena
| Item | Typical range in Altadena |
|---|---|
| Single-cylinder lock rekey | $85 – $120 |
| Mortise or high-security lock rekey | $120 – $180 |
| Whole-home rekey (3 – 5 locks) | $150 – $320 |
Can you rekey a vintage mortise lock without ruining it?
Yes. We take the lock body out, rekey the cylinder by hand, clean the internals, and reinstall it. Drilling a vintage mortise lock is a last resort, and in Altadena we almost never need to.
How long does a whole-home rekey take in Altadena?
Most Altadena homes take 45 to 90 minutes. Older mortise locks add time because each one gets disassembled and cleaned rather than swapped. Call (877) 358-5506 for an exact time estimate.
Brands We Service in Altadena
We work on Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Abloy, plus the older mortise bodies found throughout Altadena’s pre-war homes. Our trucks carry common pins, cylinders, and replacement parts for these brands, so most jobs finish in one visit. See our brands for the full hardware list.
Pricing for Locksmith in Altadena, CA
| Service | Typical range in Altadena |
|---|---|
| Single-cylinder lock rekey | $85 – $120 |
| Mortise or high-security lock rekey | $120 – $180 |
| Rekey door lock (standard cylinder) | $85 – $180 |
| Whole-home rekey (3 – 5 locks) | $150 – $320 |
| Keyed alike (2 – 4 locks) | $100 – $200 |
| Car key replacement (basic key) | $120 – $250 |
| Transponder key programming | $150 – $300 |
| Key fob replacement | $180 – $400 |
| Emergency lockout (house or car) | $75 – $200 |
Two things push prices up in Altadena: vintage mortise hardware that takes longer to work on, and drive time up winding foothill roads to canyon-edge properties. Whatever the job, the price True Blue Locksmith quotes on the phone is the price on your invoice. There is no call-out surcharge added on arrival and no surprise fee after the work.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Altadena
True Blue Locksmith serves the full Altadena area, from the flats below Altadena Drive up to the canyon-edge streets near the Angeles National Forest boundary. Response time varies with where you are on the hill, but most calls in the 91001 and 91003 ZIP codes are reached quickly.
- Altadena Meadows
- PresidentStreets
- La Vina
- The Meadows
- Upper Hastings Ranch
Service Area – Cities Near Altadena
We also serve the communities around Altadena, including Pasadena, CA, La Cañada Flintridge, CA, East Pasadena, CA, and San Marino, CA. If you’re on the edge of Altadena or just over the border, call and we’ll confirm coverage for your street.
Serving Altadena, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Altadena 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 Altadena
No. Rekeying locks on a home you own or rent does not require a permit in Altadena. The only time this comes up is in some HOAs with shared gates, where approval from the association may be needed before changing gate hardware.
We have technicians covering Altadena’s 91001 and 91003 ZIP codes. Canyon-edge streets and narrow foothill roads can add a few minutes, but most calls are reached promptly. Call (877) 358-5506 and we’ll give you a straight time window before dispatch.
Almost never. Altadena’s original mortise locks are often better built than anything sold today, and we can usually pick or bypass them without damage. Drilling is a last resort, and we’ll tell you before we do it, with the cost approved first.
Call True Blue Locksmith at (877) 358-5506 for a free estimate on any lock, key, or emergency job in Altadena. The price we quote on the phone is the price you 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 Altadena Customers Say
"Locked out at eleven at night with a kid asleep in the car. He was there in 25 minutes, had the door open in under two, and did not do the thing where the price goes up once he's standing in front of you."
— Yolanda Vargas"Quoted a price on the phone and honored it. After the last locksmith I called, that alone is worth a review."
— Megan Whitaker"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."
— Chris Meyer