Lock Rekeying
When your keys end up in the wrong hands — whether after a move, a breakup, a lost key, or a recent burglary attempt — you don't always need to replace your entire lock hardware. Rekeying is a precise, cost-effective process where a licensed locksmith disassembles your lock cylinder and replaces the internal pins so that every old key becomes permanently useless. Durham Pro Locksmith performs professional lock rekeying 24/7 across Durham, NY, the Five Towns, the Rockaways, and the JFK corridor, coming directly to your home, rental property, or business with no appointment office needed.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week · Licensed, bonded & insured
Most homeowners and landlords in our area are surprised to learn that rekeying typically costs significantly less than installing new hardware — yet delivers the same result: complete key control. If your lock is in good working condition, there's rarely a reason to swap it out just to feel secure again. Our licensed and insured technicians arrive in a fully equipped mobile unit, carry a wide inventory of replacement pins for the most common lock brands found throughout Queens, Brooklyn, and the Hudson Valley, and complete most rekeying jobs quickly and cleanly without damaging your door or frame.
What we do
Available 24/7
Day, night, weekends and holidays — a real local locksmith answers and rolls a fully-stocked van.
Fast local response
Based in Durham, we reach the Durham area in well under an hour.
Licensed, bonded & insured
Background-checked technicians, up-front pricing, and no surprise add-ons when we arrive.
Damage-free entry
We pick and bypass locks the right way, so most lockouts are solved without drilling anything.
More about our work
Everything you need to know about how we help — at a glance.
How Lock Rekeying Actually Works
Every pin-tumbler lock — the type found on the vast majority of residential and commercial doors across the Five Towns, Far Rockaway, and the neighborhoods around JFK — contains a set of spring-loaded driver pins and key pins inside the cylinder. When the correct key is inserted, its unique cuts push each pin to exactly the right height, allowing the cylinder to rotate and the lock to open. Rekeying means removing that cylinder, replacing the key pins with a new set of different heights, and reassembling everything so that only a newly cut key matches the new configuration. Your existing deadbolt, knob lock, or lever hardware stays in place — only the internal pins change.
Our technicians use a plug-following tool to remove the cylinder plug without disassembling the entire lock body, keeping the process minimally invasive and damage-free wherever the lock's condition allows. We bring pinning kits compatible with Kwikset, Schlage, Baldwin, Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and most other brands commonly installed in the region. After rekeying, we test every new key multiple times and confirm smooth operation before we leave your property.
When Rekeying Makes More Sense Than Replacement
The most common situations we handle in Durham, the Rockaways, and the Five Towns include: tenants moving out of a rental unit and landlords needing key control before new occupants arrive; homeowners who've just purchased a property and have no idea how many copies of the original keys are floating around; people who've ended a relationship or had a disagreement with someone who had access; employees or contractors who've left on bad terms; and anyone who lost a key in a public place. In all of these cases, your existing lock hardware is perfectly functional — there's no reason to spend money on new hardware when a rekey accomplishes the exact same security reset.
Replacement does make sense when a lock is damaged, worn, outdated, or when you're upgrading to higher-security hardware as part of a broader security improvement. Our technicians will give you an honest assessment on arrival. If a lock is at the end of its useful life, we'll tell you — and if it's fine to rekey, we'll tell you that too. We don't upsell services you don't need.
Rekeying Multiple Locks to a Single Key
One of the most valuable — and underused — options we offer is keying multiple locks alike, sometimes called master keying or single-key convenience. If your front door, back door, side entrance, and garage entry all currently require different keys, we can rekey every cylinder so a single key operates all of them. For landlords managing multi-unit buildings near JFK or along the Five Towns corridor, we can also set up master key systems where one master key opens every unit while each tenant's individual key only opens their own door. This is a legitimate security architecture, not just a convenience shortcut, and we build it correctly from the start.
Families who've accumulated a confusing ring of look-alike keys for a single property particularly benefit from this service. We document every key code and configuration we create, and if you ever need additional copies cut to the same specification, we can accommodate that on a follow-up visit or provide you with the key code to use at a licensed key cutter.
Pricing, Availability, and What to Expect
Rekeying cost depends on several real factors: the number of locks being rekeyed, the brand and type of lock (a standard Kwikset knob lock versus a Medeco high-security deadbolt require different time and materials), whether you want keying-alike service across multiple cylinders, and whether any locks are in condition that makes disassembly more involved. We don't publish flat rates because quoting a number that doesn't apply to your specific door would be misleading. What we do commit to is this: we confirm an exact, all-in price before any work begins, with no surprise charges added afterward.
Durham Pro Locksmith operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays, across Durham, NY, the Five Towns (Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett, and Inwood), the Rockaways, and the service roads and residential streets around JFK Airport. We're a mobile operation — our technicians come to your location fully equipped. You don't drop anything off, and there's no waiting room. Call us, describe your situation, get a confirmed price quote, and we'll dispatch to you.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to what our customers ask most. Still unsure? Just call.
Will rekeying make my old keys completely useless?+
Yes, completely. Once the internal pins are changed to a new configuration, the old key cuts no longer align with the pin stack, and the cylinder won't rotate. The old key may still insert into the keyway — the exterior shape of the keyhole doesn't change — but it will not turn the lock under any circumstances. There is no override, no workaround, and no way to reverse-engineer the new combination from the old key.
How long does a typical rekeying appointment take?+
A single lock rekey usually takes between 15 and 30 minutes once our technician is on-site. Rekeying three or four locks on the same property, or setting up a keying-alike configuration, generally takes 45 minutes to an hour and a half depending on lock types and condition. We work efficiently but we don't rush the testing phase — every cylinder is confirmed to operate smoothly with the new key before we leave.
Can you rekey a lock if I've lost all my keys and can't open the door?+
Yes. If you're locked out entirely, we first pick or bypass the lock to get you access — a service covered under our lockout assistance — and then rekey the cylinder in the same visit if you want. We carry the tools to handle both steps together, which is common in situations where keys were lost or stolen. Just let us know when you call that you need both services and we'll quote accordingly.
Do you rekey commercial locks and rental properties?+
Absolutely. We work with landlords, property managers, and business owners throughout the Five Towns, Rockaways, and the JFK area on a regular basis. Rental unit turnovers are one of our most frequent commercial calls. We can rekey entire buildings, set up master key hierarchies for multi-unit properties, and provide documentation of key configurations for your records. Call us to discuss the scope of your property and we'll walk through the logistics and pricing before committing to anything.
Is rekeying possible on high-security locks like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock?+
Yes, though it requires a licensed locksmith with the correct proprietary tooling and key blanks — it's not a job for general hardware stores. Our technicians are trained on high-security lock systems and carry the specialized equipment needed. High-security rekeying does take more time and may involve higher material costs than a standard pin-tumbler rekey, which we'll reflect accurately in your upfront quote. The security benefit of keeping quality hardware and simply changing the key combination is exactly the same as it is for standard locks.
Do I need to be home the entire time, or can I leave once you start?+
You or an authorized representative do need to be present at the start of the job so we can verify authorization — we won't rekey a lock without confirming we have permission from the property owner or manager. Once the job is underway, you're welcome to stay nearby or step away briefly. We'll never leave a property with an unsecured or partially rekeyed lock. When the job is complete, we'll find you, hand over the new keys, and walk through the finished work before closing out.