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 New York City
Lock installation and rekey in New York City runs $95-$220 for a standard cylindrical rekey and $180-$450 for a mortise lock rekey, including labor and standard pins. We quote the full price on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and that is the price on the invoice. No call-out surcharge added on arrival. If you live in a walk-up, high-rise, or brownstone anywhere in New York City, call (331) 310-8471 and you’ll get a live person who can quote the job in writing.
We know New York City locks because we work on them every day. Pre-war mortise bodies in Upper West Side brownstones. Post-war cylindrical deadbolts in Queens co-ops. Electronic keypads in new FiDi condos. The hardware changes block by block, and the building rules change with it. That local knowledge is the difference between a clean rekey and a call from your managing agent about a broken master key system.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is New York City’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
We’ve been doing lock installation and rekey work in New York City since 2002. That’s 60,000+ locks, keys, and systems installed or serviced, every one with a written price before we started and a documented photo record when we left. Daniel Novak built the company on a single rule: the dispatcher quotes a firm price, and the technician is contractually prohibited from changing it at the door. Haven Standard Clause 1. It’s been that way since day one.
New York City customers deal with a specific kind of locksmith problem: bait pricing. You see an ad for $19, the tech arrives, and suddenly it’s $400. We don’t play that game. When you call for Lock Installation & Rekey in New York City, you get a real price range on the phone, a written scope before work begins, and a background-checked, uniformed technician who leaves a photo record of the work. Every visit. Not as an upgrade. As procedure.
Our response time to most Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens neighborhoods is 45-90 minutes for emergency calls. Scheduling for planned rekeys and installations is typically same week, often next day. Cofounder Daniel Novak still reviews every commercial and master-key job personally before it’s dispatched. That level of oversight is rare in this trade.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in New York City
We handle the full range of Lock Installation & Rekey work in New York City, from a single cylinder swap in a rental unit to a full building rekey with new key control documentation. Here’s what we do most often in this city.
Smart Lock Installation
Smart lock installation in New York City usually runs $220-$480, depending on whether you’re retrofitting a mortise lock body or starting with a cylindrical prep. The catch in this city is that many smart locks are designed for standard cylindrical doors, not the mortise pockets in pre-war buildings. We install smart locks that work with your existing mortise body where possible, or we’ll tell you honestly if a particular model won’t work before you buy it. We stock smart lock kits for New York City’s common door preps, including retrofit models for mortise doors from Schlage, Yale, and August.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry systems have become the default for New York City landlords and condo owners who need to manage multiple tenants, cleaners, dog walkers, and building staff. A keypad deadbolt replacement typically runs $180-$320 installed. For a full keyless entry system with multiple user codes and audit trail, expect $350-$650 per door. The audit trail matters in New York City because you can see exactly who entered and when, which is useful when a super, a contractor, or a previous tenant still has access.
Keypad Lock
Keypad lock installation in New York City is most common on interior doors, package rooms, gym entries, and individual apartment doors where tenants change frequently. We install keypad locks for $150-$280, depending on brand and prep. For rental buildings, we recommend keypads with master-code override so the owner or managing agent can always regain access. That’s a standard feature we configure on every multi-tenant keypad install.
Biometric Lock
Biometric locks are fingerprint-activated and they’re gaining traction in New York City for interior office suites, medical offices, and high-end residential units where a phone or key can be stolen but a fingerprint can’t. Biometric lock installation runs $280-$520 per lock. These locks require a stable door frame, and we’ve seen issues in older New York City buildings where seasonal frame movement affects the alignment of the biometric sensor and the latch. We’ll check frame stability before recommending a biometric install.
Key Duplication
Key duplication in New York City is straightforward for standard Schlage and Kwikset keys: $3-$8 per key while you wait. But restricted keys are a different story. If your building uses a Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, or Abloy keyway, duplication requires authorization from the key holder of record, which is usually the managing agent or board. We work within that system. We verify the keyway, confirm authorization, and cut keys that maintain the building’s key control integrity. Never a copy that breaks the chain.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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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 New York City
We’re factory-authorized for Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Baldwin, and Schlage, and we keep a full inventory of pins, cylinders, and mortise bodies in our New York City service vehicles. That means when we rekey a Baldwin mortise cylinder in a Park Slope limestone or replace a Mul-T-Lock high-security cylinder in a Riverdale co-op, we don’t need to make a parts run. We carry the hardware. Sargent commercial hardware is another common brand in New York City office buildings and we service that line as well, including interchangeable core systems.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in New York City Homes
- Mortise lock bodies in pre-war doors. Most New York City apartments built before 1945 still run their original mortise lock bodies. A standard cylindrical deadbolt won’t fit without major drilling, and many building supers won’t allow that. We rekey or replace the existing mortise cylinder instead, preserving the original door and hardware.
- Master key systems in co-ops and rentals. A rekey that ignores the building’s master key system can break the keyway and force the board to re-cut every managed key in the building. We check for master key systems before touching a cylinder, and we source replacement cylinders within the proprietary keyway the building uses.
- Seasonal frame swelling in brownstones. New York City winters cause wood door frames to swell and shift. A deadbolt that throws cleanly in September can fail to engage in December. We re-align strike plates, shave door edges where needed, and lubricate the throw. This is a predictable November-to-February service spike we handle every year.
- Restricted key duplication without authorization. Many New York City buildings use restricted keyways where copies can’t be made at a hardware store. When a tenant needs an extra key, the authorization has to come from the managing agent. We handle that verification so you don’t get stuck with a key that shouldn’t exist.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in New York City, NY
Here’s what you can expect to pay in New York City, quoted in writing before we start:
- Standard cylindrical rekey (per cylinder): $95-$140
- Mortise lock rekey (per cylinder): $180-$280
- Deadbolt installation (standard cylindrical): $150-$220
- Mortise lock body replacement: $350-$550
- Smart lock installation: $220-$480
- Keyless entry keypad installation: $180-$320
- Biometric lock installation: $280-$520
- Key duplication (standard): $3-$8 per key
- Key duplication (restricted, with authorization): $15-$45 per key
What affects the price is the lock type, the number of cylinders, and whether we’re working within a master key system. We tell you the full price on the phone. The dispatcher quotes it. The technician honors it. There is no call-out surcharge added on arrival and no surprise upcharge after the work is done. If you have a written estimate from another New York City locksmith, bring it to us. We’ll review it at no charge.
We Also Serve Cities Near New York City
Novak Lock & Security serves New York City and the surrounding boroughs directly. We regularly dispatch technicians to Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and The Bronx for lock installation, rekey, and emergency lockout work. If you’re in any of these areas, call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll have someone to you quickly.
Serving New York City, NY - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the New York City 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 New York City
Yes. This is routine for us. We coordinate with your managing agent or board before starting, source the replacement cylinder within the building’s proprietary Medeco keyway, and have the super present during the install if the building requires it. We provide the board with a written record of the cylinder change and the new key control. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll walk through the approval process with you.
Because New York City’s pre-war housing stock runs on mortise locks, and a general handyman typically knows cylindrical hardware. Installing a cylindrical deadbolt in a mortise door requires drilling a cross-bore that many building supers and co-op boards will not permit. We work within the existing mortise pocket, preserving the original door and hardware. In Manhattan and Brooklyn co-ops specifically, a handyman who doesn’t understand master key systems can break the building’s key control and trigger a costly recall of every managed key.
Yes. We use non-destructive entry techniques on standard pin-and-tumbler locks, including lock picking and bypass methods, and we’ve opened thousands of New York City apartment doors without drilling. Drilling is an absolute last resort. We recently rekeyed a pre-war walk-up unit on West 78th Street near Amsterdam Ave where the original mortise lock body was still in place. Our tech swapped the pin and tumbler cylinders with a Mul-T-Lock restricted keyway, coordinated with the management office so the master key system stayed intact, and lubed the sticky deadbolt throw that the cold, wet winter had made tight, all with non-destructive entry and no damage to the building’s original wood door. Call (331) 310-8471 if you’re locked out now.
Key control means every copy of a key is tracked, authorized, and cut from a restricted blank that can’t be duplicated at a hardware store. Manhattan building management insists on it because a copied key that ends up in the wrong hands is a building-wide security problem. We maintain key control on every restricted keyway we service, including Medeco and Mul-T-Lock, and we only cut keys with authorization from the key holder of record. It’s not bureaucracy. It’s how buildings keep strangers out.
We rekey the cylinder first, then we address the frame. In older New York City brownstones, cold, wet winters cause wood door frames to swell and shift, which can misalign the strike plate and deadbolt throw by a quarter inch or more. We re-align the strike plate, file the door edge if needed, and test the throw before we leave. The rekey itself is unaffected by the frame, but the lock will only work smoothly if the alignment is corrected. We do both on the same visit.
If you need lock installation or rekey work in New York City, call (331) 310-8471. You’ll get a live person, a written price before anyone is dispatched, and a technician who knows New York City doors. Estimates are free. The price on the phone is the price on the invoice.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving New York City since 2002.