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 Placentia, CA
Most locksmith calls in Placentia come down to one thing: locks that have been in place since the Nixon administration and were never rekeyed. We replace, rekey, and retrofit original 1950s-70s hardware on postwar tract homes throughout the 92870 and 92871 ZIP codes, and we do it with upfront pricing you’ll know before we roll a truck. If you’ve just bought an older Placentia home or you’re locked out right now, call True Blue Locksmith at (877) 358-5506 and we’ll walk you through the exact cost on the phone.
Why Placentia Homes Are Different
Placentia grew fast after World War II, and a good portion of the single-family housing stock between Orangethorpe Avenue and the historic Pacific Electric rail corridor dates from that era. Those homes still carry the original mortise locksets and early cylindrical knob locks that builders installed in the 1950s and 60s. The problem is that many were never rekeyed after the original owners sold, which means a house on Alta Vista Street or Madison Avenue could still be opened by a key that a previous owner’s neighbor, contractor, or extended family member held onto. When we rekey a Placentia lock, we physically change the pins inside the cylinder so every old key is dead, right then, before we leave the driveway.
The other thing about Placentia is the climate. It gets hot and dry inland, and Santa Ana winds pull moisture out of wooden door frames and jambs through the fall and winter months. That seasonal drying causes doors to shift just enough that deadbolts and knob latches stop lining up with the strike plate. The lock still works, but the door sticks, the latch grinds, and eventually the hardware wears out prematurely. We see this pattern constantly in the older tract neighborhoods, and it changes how we approach a simple rekey because the door prep itself often needs to be squared up before new hardware will sit flush.
The commercial strip along Orangethorpe and Kraemer is a different animal entirely. Those small industrial and commercial properties need master-key systems, restricted keyways, and access control that the average residential locksmith never touches. True Blue Locksmith services that corridor’s door hardware, from Kwikset entry locksets to Medeco and Abloy high-security cylinders, and our techs are already familiar with the hardware you have.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main Placentia Services
Placentia homeowners call us for two services more than anything else: getting back into a car when the key is locked inside or broken off in the ignition, and emergency lockout help at all hours. Here’s what each involves in this city.
Car Key Replacement in Placentia
Placentia drivers park in tight driveways, at the train station, and in commuter lots along the 91 corridor, which means car keys get dropped, bent, and locked inside with some frequency. We cut and program replacement keys for most makes and models right at your location in 92870 or 92871, including transponder keys and key fobs that dealerships charge an arm and a leg for. No tow truck, no dealership appointment. See the full breakdown at Car Key Replacement in Placentia.
Emergency Locksmith in Placentia
Locked out of a house off Bastanchury Road at midnight, or standing in a parking lot after a deadbolt jammed? Emergency response means we answer the phone outside normal business hours and get someone to you without a bait-and-switch quote on arrival. One call to True Blue Locksmith covers residential, automotive, and commercial lockouts in Placentia. Details on response and pricing at Emergency Locksmith in Placentia.
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 Placentia
Rekeying is the most common locksmith job we do in Placentia, and the reason is simple: the housing stock here was built between the 1950s and 1970s, and a huge number of those original locks have never been changed. When you buy a postwar tract home in Placentia, you have no idea how many copies of the existing key are floating around in the world. Rekeying changes the internal pins so the old keys stop working completely, without the expense of replacing every lockset. In Placentia’s dry, Santa Ana-wind climate, wooden doors also shift seasonally, so we check the strike plate and latch alignment during every rekey to make sure the lock actually throws cleanly. If you have worn original hardware, we can also retrofit the door prep to accept modern deadbolts. Learn more about the full scope at Rekey Locks.
Lock Rekey
Signs you need it
You recently bought, rented, or inherited a Placentia home and you don’t know who has copies of the keys.
What it costs in Placentia
A standard lock rekey in Placentia typically runs $65 to $120 for the first lock and $25 to $35 per additional lock keyed to the same key.
How we do it
We remove the lock cylinder, swap out the old pins for new ones matched to a new key, and reinstall the cylinder, then test the key through six or seven lock-and-unlock cycles.
Rekey Door Lock
Signs you need it
A roommate, tenant, contractor, or ex-partner moved out and you need to make their key worthless without replacing the entire knob or deadbolt.
What it costs in Placentia
Rekeying a single door lock in Placentia is usually $65 to $120, with additional doors keyed alike running $25 to $35 each.
How we do it
We pull the cylinder from the knob or deadbolt, repin it to a new key pattern, then reinstall it and confirm the old key no longer turns while the new key operates smoothly.
Keyed Alike
Signs you need it
You’re carrying a fat keychain with separate keys for the front door, back door, garage, and side gate and you want one key to work everything.
What it costs in Placentia
Keying multiple Placentia locks alike is $65 to $120 for the first cylinder and $25 to $35 for each additional cylinder matched to that same key.
How we do it
We repin each cylinder to match a single key, which means all the locks still keep their existing exterior hardware but now operate from one key.
What Rekey Locks Costs in Placentia
| Item | Typical range in Placentia |
|---|---|
| First lock rekeyed | $65 – $120 |
| Each additional lock keyed alike | $25 – $35 |
| Rekey plus new deadbolt installation (parts extra) | $85 – $150 labor |
Those figures reflect what Placentia homeowners actually pay for standard Kwikset, Schlage, and Yale cylinders. If you have high-security hardware like Medeco or Abloy, the pins and key blanks cost more, and we’ll quote that before we touch a single screw.
Can you rekey my lock to match an existing key I already have?
Yes. We can repin most locks in Placentia to match an existing key you want to keep, as long as the keyway is compatible. For older 1950s and 60s builder-grade hardware, we may recommend an upgrade instead. Call (877) 358-5506 for an honest quote.
How long does a rekey take in Placentia?
Most Placentia rekeys take 20 to 30 minutes for the first lock and 10 to 15 minutes per additional lock. If we need to retrofit old door prep or replace a worn cylinder, it runs longer. Call (877) 358-5506 to schedule.
Brands We Service in Placentia
Our techs work on the hardware Placentia actually has, which spans everything from original Kwikset and Yale knobsets on postwar tract homes to Medeco and Baldwin hardware on newer builds and commercial properties along Orangethorpe. Because we carry common pins, cylinders, and key blanks for these brands on the truck, most jobs are done in one visit. See our brands for the full list.
Pricing for Locksmith in Placentia, CA
| Service | Typical range in Placentia |
|---|---|
| Standard lock rekey (first lock) | $65 – $120 |
| Each additional lock keyed alike | $25 – $35 |
| Rekey plus deadbolt installation (labor only) | $85 – $150 |
| High-security cylinder rekey (Medeco, Abloy, Mul-T-Lock) | $30 – $50 per cylinder (parts extra) |
| Car key replacement with programming | $150 – $400 |
| Emergency lockout (residential) | $50 – $120 |
| Emergency lockout (automotive) | $60 – $150 |
| Emergency lockout (commercial) | $75 – $175 |
Prices in Placentia get pushed up by a couple of local factors. Older 1950s-70s homes with original door prep often need retrofitting before a modern deadbolt will sit flush, and high-security commercial cylinders on the Orangethorpe and Kraemer corridors cost more in parts than consumer-grade Kwikset hardware. What doesn’t change is our pricing structure: you get a full quote on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and that’s the same number on the invoice. No call-out surcharge added when the tech arrives.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Placentia
We work throughout both Placentia ZIP codes, from the older tract streets near the historic downtown rail corridor to the newer condo and apartment complexes that sit closer to the 91 and 57 freeways. Response time varies by time of day and where the tech is dispatched from, but most Placentia calls are reached within 30 to 45 minutes during normal hours.
- Old Town Placentia (near the Pacific Electric rail corridor)
- Alta Vista neighborhood
- Madison Avenue area
- Neighborhoods along Bastanchury Road
- Communities bordering Yorba Linda to the east
Service Area – Cities Near Placentia
Our trucks roll through the surrounding North Orange County cities all the time, which means a Placentia dispatch often comes with a tech who already knows the neighborhood. We also serve Brea, CA to the northeast, Anaheim, CA to the south and west, Fullerton, CA to the northwest, and Yorba Linda, CA to the east. If you’re right on the border, call (877) 358-5506 and we’ll confirm which route gets to you fastest.
Serving Placentia, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Placentia 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 Placentia
No permit is required for residential rekeying or deadbolt installation on an existing door in Placentia. If you’re in an HOA, check your CC&Rs for any rules about finish or hardware style, but those are rare for interior-facing security hardware.
Yes. When you call True Blue Locksmith at (877) 358-5506, the quote includes labor and the standard parts for the job. If we discover something unexpected like a rusted original cylinder that won’t come out, we stop and get your approval on any additional cost before proceeding.
Most of the time, yes. We can rekey many old mortise and knob locksets as long as the cylinder is still functional. When the original hardware is too worn to rekey safely, we can retrofit the existing door prep to accept a modern deadbolt instead of replacing the whole door.
Call True Blue Locksmith at (877) 358-5506 for a free, honest estimate on any lock, key, or emergency lockout job in Placentia. We’ll tell you exactly what it costs before we roll.
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 Placentia Customers Say
"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"Rekey was done properly. One of the keys he cut was slightly stiff in the back door and I had to call him to swap it, which he did without a fuss."
— Doug Ziegler"Programmed a transponder key for a 2014 model that the dealership wanted an absurd amount for. Same key, fraction of the price, took him twenty minutes in my driveway."
— Gilbert Herrera