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 Santa Monica, CA
Rekeying locks in Santa Monica isn’t the same job it is in Irvine or Culver City. The housing stock here skews older, the marine air eats at hardware, and the tenant turnover in rent-controlled apartments means keys change hands constantly. We work on pre-war mortise locks, single-cylinder deadbolts, and high-security systems alike. True Blue Locksmith has served Santa Monica since 2017, and we know that a rekey on a 1920s courtyard apartment in the 90401 ZIP demands a different approach than a rekey on a 1970s condo tower near Ocean Ave. Call (877) 358-5506 for an upfront quote before anyone is dispatched.
Why Santa Monica Homes Are Different
Santa Monica’s housing stock is a layered thing. West of Lincoln Blvd, you’ll find pre-1950s bungalows and courtyard apartments, many with original mortise locks and single-cylinder deadbolts. The wooden door frames in these buildings have spent decades swelling and binding in the damp air, which means a lock that worked fine in June can stick by November. East of Lincoln and up toward Wilshire, the 1960s and 70s condo towers have their own set of issues; those aluminum-framed doors use hardware that’s no longer manufactured, and sourcing replacement cylinders takes someone who knows where to look without charging you collector’s prices. The salt-laden ocean air and coastal fog accelerate corrosion on exterior brass and steel lock hardware, especially within a mile of the beach. We routinely pull cylinders out of gates west of Lincoln that have rusted shut from years of marine layer exposure. And then there’s the tenant factor. Santa Monica’s rent-controlled apartment stock, especially the older buildings in 90401, 90403, and 90404, means locksmiths here constantly navigate landlord-tenant lock change rules and rekey requests tied to tenant turnover, rather than the simple homeowner lockouts that dominate neighboring cities. A property manager calling us about a unit rekey between tenants is asking a different question than a homeowner in Beverly Hills who lost a key. We answer both, but the Santa Monica call usually involves a lock that’s been rekeyed by three generations of landlords and a front gate key that opens a dozen different doors.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main Santa Monica Services
Three services account for most of what Santa Monica residents call us for: car key replacement, emergency lockout response, and lock rekeying. The first two have their own dedicated pages with local pricing and details.
Car Key Replacement in Santa Monica
Most Santa Monica car key calls come from the beach parking lots along Ocean Ave or the residential streets near Main St, where keys get locked in trunks, dropped in sand, or simply stop starting the ignition. The older cars still on the road here, especially the 2000s-era Toyotas and Hondas parked in the 90404 neighborhood, often need a new transponder key programmed on the spot. Newer models with push-button start require a different process entirely. We stock key blanks and programming equipment for most major makes, and we handle both the cut and the programming in one visit. Read the full breakdown on our Car Key Replacement in Santa Monica page.
Emergency Locksmith in Santa Monica
Santa Monica has a steady rhythm of lockout calls: beachgoers who locked keys in the car near the pier, renters who left keys inside a 1940s courtyard unit, and homeowners standing on a porch near Montana Ave at midnight. The marine air makes some of these jobs harder than they’d be inland; a rusted gate latch or a seized deadbolt doesn’t open the easy way. We carry the tools and replacement parts to handle the corroded hardware common west of Lincoln. See response details and what to expect on our Emergency Locksmith in Santa Monica page.
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 Santa Monica
Rekeying in Santa Monica often means working on locks that have outlived three or four tenants, and in some buildings, three or four landlords. The city’s rent-controlled apartment stock means rekeys happen for turnover, for roommate changes, and for eviction protections that require landlords to rekey when a tenant leaves. The salt air complicates matters: pins corrode, cylinders seize, and keys wear faster than inland. A rekey that would take twenty minutes in Culver City can take forty-five minutes here if the cylinder needs cleaning, lubrication, and new springs before it’ll turn smoothly. Whatever the condition, we rekey the lock so the old keys are dead and you get new ones. This is exactly the work we cover on our Rekey Locks service hub, and it’s the most common job we do in Santa Monica.
Lock Rekey
Signs you need it
You’ve moved into a new rental, had a tenant leave, lost track of who has a copy of your key, or just bought a home and don’t know how many old keys are floating around.
What it costs in Santa Monica
A standard lock rekey in Santa Monica typically runs $60 to $145 for the first lock and $20 to $45 per additional lock keyed to match, with the higher end common on corroded coastal hardware that needs cleaning before new pins go in.
How we do it
We remove the cylinder, replace the pins so the old key no longer works, clean and lubricate the internal parts to fight the coastal corrosion, and hand you new keys that turn smoothly.
Keyed Alike
Signs you need it
You’re tired of carrying three different keys for the front gate, the courtyard door, and your unit door, or you want one key to work the front door and the deadbolt.
What it costs in Santa Monica
Keying multiple locks alike runs from $20 to $65 per lock including new keys and pinning in Santa Monica, depending on the cylinder type and how stubborn the marine layer has made the hardware.
How we do it
We pull each cylinder, pin them all to the same key code, test every lock with the new key, and leave you with a single key that works every lock you asked us to match.
What Rekey Locks Costs in Santa Monica
| Item | Typical range in Santa Monica |
|---|---|
| Standard lock rekey, first lock | $60 – $145 |
| Each additional lock keyed alike | $20 – $65 |
| High-security or seized cylinder rekey | $80 – $180 |
Costs climb in Santa Monica when the lock is a Medeco or other high-security cylinder that uses proprietary pins, when the hardware is original pre-war mortise work that needs extra disassembly, or when salt corrosion means the cylinder has to be fully stripped and rebuilt before rekeying. We quote the full price on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and that is the price on the invoice. No bait-and-switch, no add-on surprises, no call-out fee appended on arrival.
Can you rekey locks in a rent-controlled Santa Monica apartment?
Yes, we rekey locks in rent-controlled apartments throughout Santa Monica’s 90401, 90403, and 90404 ZIP codes. Landlords commonly call us for turnover rekeys between tenants, and we handle the whole job, including rusty gate hardware, without requiring the landlord to be present.
Does rekeying work on the old mortise locks found in Santa Monica’s pre-war buildings?
Yes, we rekey mortise lock cylinders regularly in Santa Monica’s 1920s and 1930s courtyard buildings and bungalows. The process takes longer than a modern deadbolt because the cylinders often need cleaning and lubrication after decades of marine air exposure, but the old keys stop working when we finish.
Brands We Service in Santa Monica
We work on Kwikset, Schlage, Yale, Baldwin, Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, and Abloy hardware. Most standard Kwikset and Schlage pins and springs are stocked on our vans for same-day rekeys in Santa Monica. High-security Medeco or Abloy cylinders usually need a day or two to source specialized pins. For a full rundown, see our brands.
Pricing for Locksmith in Santa Monica, CA
| Service | Typical range in Santa Monica |
|---|---|
| Car key replacement, standard transponder | $120 – $280 |
| Car key replacement, push-button smart key | $180 – $400 |
| Car key replacement, high-security laser-cut | $200 – $450 |
| Emergency lockout response, standard door | $60 – $130 |
| Emergency lockout response, high-security or commercial | $100 – $220 |
| Standard lock rekey, first lock | $60 – $145 |
| Each additional lock keyed alike | $20 – $65 |
| High-security or seized cylinder rekey | $80 – $180 |
Two things push prices toward the higher end in Santa Monica. The first is the salt air, which means cylinders on ocean-side properties often need a full cleaning and rebuild before rekeying can begin. The second is the age of the housing stock; pre-war mortise locks and 1960s condo hardware take longer to service correctly. Regardless of what the job costs, we quote the full price on the phone before anyone leaves for your address, and that is what you pay. No arrival fee, no hidden surcharges.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Santa Monica
We cover every corner of Santa Monica, from the beach blocks to the inland border with West LA. Our response time for most jobs is same-day, and emergency lockouts west of Lincoln are usually reached within an hour.
- Ocean Park and Sunset Park (90405)
- Downtown Santa Monica and Wilshire-Montana (90401, 90403)
- Pico District and Mid-City (90404)
- North of Montana (90402)
Service Area – Cities Near Santa Monica
True Blue Locksmith works across the Westside. We regularly handle rekeys and lockouts in Venice, CA and Century City, CA, and our techs know the condo and apartment stock in Culver City, CA as well as the high-security homes in Beverly Hills, CA. If you’re in Santa Monica or any of these neighboring cities, one call gets you a locksmith who already knows your building type.
Serving Santa Monica, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica
Yes, in most cases you need landlord permission to rekey or change locks in a Santa Monica rental. California law allows tenants to change locks in some situations, but rent-controlled building rules vary. We can rekey and provide the landlord a copy of the new key if your lease or the property manager requires it. Give us a call and we’ll walk you through what your situation needs.
For emergency lockouts in Santa Monica, we typically reach addresses west of Lincoln within an hour and the rest of the city shortly after. Ocean Park, Sunset Park, and the Pico District are all routine coverage. Call (877) 358-5506 and we’ll give you an honest arrival window based on where our nearest tech is right then.
It accelerates corrosion, yes. Locks within a mile of the beach face constant salt-laden fog that seizes cylinders, rusts gate hardware, and wears keys faster than inland. We regularly clean and rebuild coastal hardware before rekeying. If your key is sticking or the deadbolt is stiff, that’s usually the marine layer at work.
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 Santa Monica Customers Say
"Key snapped off in the deadbolt. He extracted it without damaging the cylinder, which I did not think was going to be possible."
— Claudia Ramirez"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."
— Marcy Thompson"Commercial job, panic bar and a master key system for a small office. Clean install and clear documentation of which key opens what."
— Norma Castillo