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.
Fast, Reliable Lock Installation & Rekey Across Davis
Lock installation and rekeying in Davis typically costs $85-$240 depending on the lock type, and most jobs are completed in under an hour once our technician arrives. That’s the direct answer. The longer answer is that Davis has a housing stock unlike anywhere else in Yolo County, and the condition of your doors and existing hardware determines more than the brand name on the new lock. If you’re in a 1970s apartment near Sycamore Lane or a downtown bungalow on E Street, the approach changes. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll give you a firm written quote before anyone gets in the van.
We run scheduled routes into Davis from our Sacramento dispatch office, and we know the student rental turnover calendar well enough to plan crews around it, not react to it.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Davis’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Daniel Novak founded this company in 2002 with one rule that has never changed: the price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. Haven Standard Clause 1. Every Davis job starts with a written scope and a firm number. The technician who arrives at your door cannot change it. That rule matters in a trade where bait pricing has become something people expect, and it’s why Davis homeowners and property managers call us back year after year.
Our repair and installation volume speaks to the trust: 60,000+ locks, keys, and systems installed or serviced since 2002, each with a written price before work began and a documented photo record when the technician left. That photo record is standard on every visit, including yours. You’ll see the condition of the cylinder, the strike plate, the door alignment. We report what we found and what we did. No vague reassurance, just documentation.
Every technician is background-checked and uniformed, and every call is answered by a live person, 24/7. When a Davis landlord calls at 9:30 p.m. about a tenant lockout on Russell Boulevard, someone picks up. That’s the entire point.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Davis
We approach every Davis job the same way: identify the existing hardware, assess what’s worn, and tell you honestly whether a rekey is enough or the cylinder needs replacement. For the full picture on what rekeying involves, see our Lock Installation & Rekey service area page. Here’s what we handle most often in Davis.
Smart Lock Installation
Davis renters and homeowners install more smart locks than most California cities because key handoffs happen constantly. A Schlage Encode or Yale Assure on a south Davis apartment door means a landlord revokes a digital code instead of rekeying for the fourth time that year. We install and program the lock, key the physical backup cylinder, and document the full setup. On older doors, we’ll check the frame clearance before recommending a model. A warped August door frame will make even a good smart lock throw poorly, and we’ll tell you that before you buy it.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry on a Davis rental property usually means a keypad deadbolt paired with a traditional key override. The keypad handles daily tenant use; the key cylinder is the fail-safe. We install these on apartments and single-family homes, and we always key the override cylinder to match your existing key where that’s an option. Keyless entry systems on Davis’s older wood-framed doors often require strike plate adjustment because the frames shift with the Sacramento Valley heat. We check alignment as part of every keyless install.
Keypad Lock
A standalone keypad lock is the fastest answer for a Davis landlord who needs restricted access without a full smart lock ecosystem. Kwikset and Schlage keypad deadbolts run $120-$210 installed in Davis, and we can install them the same week, not the same month. For student rentals, we recommend models with at least 10 user codes. Sublets and roommate changes burn through codes fast.
Biometric Lock
Biometric locks use fingerprint recognition rather than codes or keys. They’re less common in Davis rental stock but increasingly popular with homeowners near the downtown core who want entry without carrying anything. The heat is not kind to some biometric sensors, so we recommend specific outdoor-rated models and explain the limitations in writing before you commit. If your home has a door that catches direct afternoon sun, sensor life and reliability change, and we’ll tell you that straight.
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.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Davis
We work on the full spectrum, from entry-grade Kwikset and Schlage to high-security Medeco and Mul-T-Lock. For Davis customers, we keep the most commonly needed Schlage and Kwikset cylinders, keypad units, and strike hardware stocked on our service vehicles, which means less waiting on parts when a rental needs work before the next tenant shows up. Baldwin hardware appears frequently in the Craftsman and prairie-style homes near the UC Davis campus, and we’re factory-authorized for Baldwin work. When a Medeco high-security cylinder is part of the job, the keying is the same in Davis as anywhere else: documented, written, and priced before we turn a screw.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Davis Homes
- Warped door frames from summer heat. Davis regularly hits 105°F in July and early August, and wooden door frames in older apartment units expand enough to throw deadbolt strike plates out of alignment. A new lock installed in a warped frame feels jammed the same week it goes in. We fix the alignment before installing, not after you call back.
- Worn cylinders from excessive rekeying. Some south Davis apartment units get rekeyed three or four times a year due to sublets and roommate turnover. After enough cycles, the pin tumblers wear and the key control weakens. When that happens, rekeying again is a temporary patch. We’ll tell you when replacement is the honest answer.
- Obsolete mortise locks in downtown bungalows. Early-to-mid century homes near the Davis downtown core often have original mortise lock bodies with cylinder formats no modern key blank fits. A new deadbolt does not drop into a mortise pocket without retrofitting. Unqualified techs crack the escutcheon plate trying. We handle these regularly and know what parts to bring.
- Rush rekeying before UC Davis move-in. Every August, thousands of rental units along Russell Boulevard and in south Davis turn over in a three-week window. Landlords who wait until the last week of August get stuck. We schedule rekey routes weeks in advance for property managers who plan ahead.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Davis, CA
Here are the numbers, in writing, the same way we quote them on the phone. A standard cylinder rekey in Davis runs $85-$130 per lock, depending on keyway type. Deadbolt replacement with a standard Schlage or Kwikset unit runs $145-$210 installed. Keypad deadbolt installation runs $120-$210. Smart lock installation runs $180-$320 depending on model and door condition. Biometric lock installation runs $220-$350.
What affects the final number: the age of the door, whether the frame needs alignment work, and whether the existing cylinder is reusable. You get the full price on the phone before dispatch. There is no call-out surcharge added on arrival, no “additional labor” line item invented at the door. Haven Standard Clause 1 applies to every Davis job.
If you have a written estimate from another shop, bring it. We’ll review it at no charge and tell you if it’s honest.
We Also Serve Cities Near Davis
Novak Lock & Security serves Davis from our Sacramento dispatch desk, and our technicians also cover Woodland, West Sacramento, Sacramento, and North Highlands. Response times vary by area, but the pricing rule is identical everywhere: written quote on the phone, firm price at the door.
Serving Davis, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Davis 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 Davis
The main reason is frame warp. Davis gets weeks of 105°F heat, and wood door frames in older apartment buildings expand and shift enough to push deadbolt strike plates out of alignment. That makes the lock feel broken even when the cylinder is fine. The second reason is wear from frequent rekeying in high-turnover units. We can fix the alignment and tell you whether the cylinder still has life in it. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll quote the fix on the phone.
Yes, but not by forcing a modern deadbolt into a mortise pocket. The right approach is usually a surface-mount smart lock designed for mortise doors, or a retrofit that reuses the mortise body with a new cylinder and adds a keypad above it. In downtown Davis bungalows, this is one of the most common jobs we do. The key is measuring the existing mortise pocket before ordering hardware. We carry the common retrofit parts and can assess your door on the first visit.
A quality cylinder can typically handle 15-25 rekeys before the pin tumblers wear enough to affect key control. That changes with use and with cheap hardware. In Davis student rentals where a lock might be rekeyed three or four times a year, we often see cylinders that are functionally worn after five or six years. Once a key gets sloppy in the cylinder or the lock starts binding at certain turns, replacement usually costs less than repeated service calls. We’ll tell you which one you need, and the quote on the phone covers it.
Yes, and we schedule those routes weeks in advance. The August move-in window along Russell Boulevard and in south Davis creates a three-week surge in rekey demand that overwhelms one-off calls. Property managers who work with us get a scheduled rekey crew and a written per-unit price before the rush starts. If you manage a complex, call (331) 310-8471 in June or early July, not mid-August.
Rekeying changes the internal pins so a new key operates the existing lock. The hardware stays in place. Replacing means installing a new lock body or deadbolt assembly. Rekeying is cheaper and faster when the cylinder is in good shape. Replacement is the right call when the cylinder is worn, the lock is damaged, or you’re upgrading to a keypad or smart lock. We give you the price for both options before any work starts, so you’re choosing with numbers in front of you, not finding out after the fact.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Davis since 2002.