Non-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.
Lock Installation & Rekey in Atlanta: What It Costs, What to Fix, and When to Keep the Original Hardware
Lock rekeying in Atlanta typically costs $80-$160 for the first cylinder and $20-$35 per additional cylinder, quoted in writing before our technician leaves the office. Full lock installation runs $120-$350 per door depending on whether we’re fitting a new deadbolt, converting a mortise lock, or mounting a smart lock on an original bungalow door. Daniel Novak founded this company on a rule that has not changed since 2002: the price you hear on the phone is the price on the invoice. No door-knock surcharge, no bait switch, no “the dispatcher made a mistake” routine. Call (331) 310-8471 and a live person answers.
Atlanta’s housing stock is older than most people realize, and what that means for your locks matters more than the brand name on the box. A 1920s craftsman bungalow in Candler Park does not accept a modern deadbolt the way a 2018 townhouse in West Midtown does. That gap is where most lock work in this city actually happens, and it is exactly the kind of job we have done thousands of times since opening our Atlanta office.
- Rekeying changes the key, not the hardware: $80-$160 for the first cylinder, $20-$35 per additional.
- Deadbolt installation on a standard door: $140-$220, including the lock, labor, and written documentation.
- Mortise-to-deadbolt conversion on original intown doors: $280-$450 because the old case must come out, the wood must be prepped honestly, and the fit has to be rebuilt.
- Smart lock or keypad installation: $180-$320 on most Atlanta doors. Older bungalow doors sometimes need a $25-$45 tailpiece adapter or strike rebuild.
The Atlanta Lock Problem Most Locksmiths Won’t Name
Atlanta’s intown neighborhoods – Virginia-Highland, Candler Park, Grant Park, Kirkwood, and Ormewood Park – form one of the largest intact belts of 1910s to 1940s craftsman bungalows in the Southeast. Most of those houses still carry original mortise lock hardware, and that hardware does not come off a shelf at a big-box store. Replacement followers, tailpieces, and case parts for an 80-year-old Corbin or Sargent lock body have to be sourced, matched, and fitted by someone who knows what a custom-length follower actually is. We source those parts. We stock the ones this city’s houses use most.
Something else about Atlanta real estate: churn is constant. Homes in Grant Park and Kirkwood change hands, get renovated, get listed again. Every transaction should mean a rekey, and the buyer should know whether the original mortise lock is worth keeping. Too often a contractor just slaps a modern deadbolt above the mortise lock and leaves the old hardware dead in the door. That is faster, and it looks fine in a listing photo. It also leaves a lock body that no longer secures anything, and a second, unkeyed hole in the door that nobody will mention at closing. Our Lock Installation & Rekey team fixes what previous renovations left behind.
In a 1920s bungalow off a side street in Candler Park, our tech pulled an original Corbin mortise lock body that a recent renovation had left untouched. The deadbolt wouldn’t throw because the door had settled slightly and the strike was now a quarter-inch low, which meant simply dropping in a modern Schlage deadbolt would have required mortising out the old case and patching the wood. So we rekeyed the existing five-pin cylinder to a new key, filed and remounted the strike plate to match the latch, and the original hardware worked like new without cutting into the door. That distinction – when to rekey versus when to replace – is the core of honest locksmithing in this city, and it is the standard we work to in every part of Atlanta.
Why Novak Lock & Security Handles Atlanta’s Older Doors Differently
We have installed and serviced more than 60,000 locks, keys, and systems since 2002. Every one of them had a written price before we started and a documented photo record when we left. That is not a slogan. It is Haven Standard Clause 1, and it applies to every job in Atlanta, from a deadbolt replacement in a Reynoldstown rental to a full high-security rekey in a Buckhead condo building.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and they carry the trade’s real vocabulary without talking down to you. When we say a Mul-T-Lock cylinder cannot be picked or bumped by standard tools, we mean the specific engineering that makes that true. When we say your original Baldwin mortise lock should be kept and rekeyed rather than replaced, we can show you the condition of the case, the tailpiece, and the cylinder in a photo record you keep. That evidence is the difference between a locksmith and a person with a drill.
Calls to (331) 310-8471 are answered by a live person, 24/7. Not a callback window. Not an automated tree. A dispatcher who can quote you a firm price before anyone gets in a van. That dispatcher is also contractually prohibited from changing the number when the technician arrives. If we quoted you $145 to rekey three cylinders on the phone, the invoice says $145. No exceptions, no story.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Atlanta
Smart Lock Installation
Smart locks have a real problem on Atlanta’s original bungalow doors. The door stiles are wider than the ones on modern prehung doors, so a standard tailpiece is too short and the thumbturn just spins without engaging the cylinder. We carry extended tailpieces, and we know which of the major smart lock brands – Schlage Encode, Kwikset Halo, Yale Assure – will fit a 1920s door without mortising out more wood. In Midtown condos and newer construction, smart lock installation is usually straightforward: $180-$280 for most brands, including programming and a documented photo record.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry systems for Atlanta landlords and property managers usually mean a commercial-grade keypad at the entry, with individual codes for tenants. The apartment construction boom along the BeltLine and around the Perimeter has made tenant-turnover rekeying a constant commercial workload, and keyless entry is the logical fix for buildings with 20, 50, or 200 units. For single-family homes, a keyless entry deadbolt replaces the existing deadbolt entirely. For older doors with mortise locks, we can often retain the original look while adding keyless capability.
Keypad Lock
Keypad locks are the most-requested single upgrade we see from Atlanta homeowners who just bought a 1930s house and want to stop carrying keys. The critical thing is fit. A keypad lock mounted on an original foursquare’s door without accounting for the wide stile will bind, and the installer who hand-files the strike instead of correcting the hinge sag will be back in three weeks when the door swells again in July. We correct the sag first. Then we fit the lock. The lock then works in August and in January.
Biometric Lock
Biometric locks read a fingerprint or a phone credential. They are legitimate hardware, and for Atlanta homeowners who want them, we install them with the same written price promise as a standard deadbolt. We tell customers plainly what biometric locks can and cannot do. They do not survive direct sun and Atlanta rain unprotected on an exposed exterior door. They do work well in covered entries and interior applications. Price for a quality biometric deadbolt – Baldwin or Schlage, not a generic off-brand – runs $220-$380 installed.
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.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Atlanta
We are factory-authorized on Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Baldwin, and Schlage. That authorization matters when a high-security cylinder needs a new key card or a restricted keyway, because we can cut and issue keys without sending you to a second shop. For Atlanta’s older locks, we keep a working inventory of Sargent and original Corbin parts – followers, tailpieces, case components – because we see those locks in Grant Park and Ormewood Park on a routine basis, not once in a while. If your lock was made before 1950 and still works, we service it. If it needs replacing, we’ll show you the worn part and explain why replacement is the honest call.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Atlanta Homes
- Deadbolts that bind every summer. Atlanta’s humid subtropical climate pushes relative humidity above 80% regularly in July and August. Wood door frames in older intown homes swell enough to throw deadbolt strikes and latch sets out of alignment. The fix is correcting the hinge sag and rebuilding the strike, not filing the strike plate thinner every season.
- Generic tailpieces dropped into original mortise cases. A 1930s Grant Park mortise lock often has a follower worn to a custom length. A locksmith who drops a generic tailpiece into that Corbin case gets a latch that doesn’t fully retract. We match the follower to the case and test the throw before we leave.
- Builder-grade deadbolts on rental turnover. Post-1970s suburban tract construction in Smyrna and Marietta often has hollow-core doors and single-cylinder Kwikset deadbolts. Those work until a tenant moves out, and then they need to be rekeyed. We rekey them for $20-$35 per cylinder after the first one.
- New smart locks that won’t engage on original doors. A keypad system mounted on an Atlanta bungalow’s wide-stile original door often needs a longer tailpiece. Without it, the thumbturn spins and the bolt never throws. We keep extended tailpieces on every truck that works intown.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Atlanta, GA
We publish ranges because hiding the price is how this trade got its reputation, and we have spent 23 years doing the opposite. Here is what you should expect to pay in Atlanta for common jobs:
| Service | Typical Atlanta Price Range |
|---|---|
| Rekey first cylinder | $80-$160 |
| Rekey each additional cylinder | $20-$35 |
| Deadbolt installation (standard door) | $140-$220 |
| Mortise-to-deadbolt conversion (original bungalow) | $280-$450 |
| Smart lock or keypad installation | $180-$320 |
| High-security cylinder (Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy) rekey | $65-$120 per cylinder |
The quote you get on the phone from (331) 310-8471 is the price on the invoice. That has been the rule since Daniel Novak started this company in 2002, and it is the same in every Atlanta zip code we serve. Bring us a competitor’s written estimate and we will review it at no charge – that free second opinion is standard, not a promotion.
We Also Serve Cities Near Atlanta
Our Atlanta office dispatches locally and covers the surrounding metro, including Smyrna, Mableton, Marietta, and Roswell. When a landlord in Mableton needs six units rekeyed the same week as a closing in Virginia-Highland, we schedule both with written scopes and flat per-lock pricing. The dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our Atlanta office; the crews serve Atlanta and the near suburbs directly.
Serving Atlanta, GA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Atlanta 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 - Lock Installation & Rekey in Atlanta
If the mortise case is intact and the cylinder is serviceable, rekey it. Original mortise locks on Atlanta bungalows are often better-built than mid-range modern deadbolts, and rekeying preserves the original door without cutting more wood. Replacement only makes sense when the case is cracked, the follower is worn beyond matching, or the door has been damaged. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll tell you which situation you have, in writing, before any work starts.
Atlanta’s summer humidity swells the wood door frame enough to misalign the deadbolt strike and latch. It is almost never the lock cylinder. The real fix is correcting the hinge sag and remounting the strike, not filing the strike plate thinner each year. Rekeying won’t fix a swollen door, and a new deadbolt won’t either. What fixes it is a strike that aligns, and that is a routine job for us.
Yes. We rekey the existing mortise cylinders to a single key, keeping the original Corbin or Sargent hardware in place. If the cylinders are worn or the keys are original and badly cut, we can supply replacement cylinders that drop into the same case. Either way, the look stays original and the key changes. Cost is $80-$160 for the first cylinder and $20-$35 per additional.
In most cases, yes. Atlanta bungalow doors have wider stiles than modern doors, so the tailpiece has to be long enough to bridge that width. We stock extended tailpieces and the correct mounting plates. If the door is solid and sound, the smart lock goes on with standard screw holes and no additional mortising. We’ll confirm fit before we drill anything, and the price is in writing first.
Rekeying changes the internal pins so old keys no longer turn the cylinder; the hardware stays in place. Changing the cylinder means replacing the entire locking mechanism with new hardware. After a tenant move-out, rekeying is usually sufficient and cheaper: $80-$160 for the first cylinder, $20-$35 per additional. If the hardware is worn or the landlord wants a key-control upgrade, we’ll show you what we found and give you both options with pricing.
Call Novak Lock & Security for Atlanta Lock Installation & Rekey
We quote a firm price on the phone, put it in writing, and back every job with the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If it is not done right, we make it right. No trip charge surprises, no bait pricing at the door, no grinding an original mortise lock out of a bungalow because we did not have the part. We have the parts, we have the documentation, and we answer the phone. Call (331) 310-8471 for a free estimate on lock installation or rekeying anywhere in Atlanta.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, providing documented lock work in Atlanta under The Haven Standard.