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 San Bruno
Lock installation and rekeying in San Bruno means working around a city that never fully sleeps. The 101 corridor hums, SFO arrivals descend over the hills, and residents come and go at every hour. When a new homeowner in Huntington Park needs every lock changed before move-in, or a rental property off San Bruno Avenue needs a rekey between tenants, the job has to be done right and done promptly. Daniel Novak and our Lock Installation & Rekey team coordinate local crews from our San Francisco Bay Area office, with a live person answering our phones around the clock. Call (331) 310-8471 for a firm written quote before anyone is dispatched.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is San Bruno’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
We work in San Bruno regularly, and we know the city’s patchwork of housing better than most. That matters when a 1950s tract home in Rollingwood needs a corroded deadbolt freed without damaging the original steel frame, or a Crestmoor condo association needs a master key system rebuilt after a resident moves out. Local knowledge is not a marketing line here. It changes how we approach the work.
Since 2002, Novak Lock & Security has installed or serviced more than 60,000 locks, keys, and systems, each one with a written price before we started and a documented photo record when we left. Every technician is background-checked and uniformed. The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies to every job in San Bruno, from a single front-door rekey to a full building key control system. Haven Standard Clause 1 is simple: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. No exceptions, no arrival surcharge.
We also answer the phone. A live person, 24/7. If you’re locked out at 3 a.m. before an early shift at the airport, you don’t want a callback window. You want a dispatcher who can quote a firm price right then.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in San Bruno
Smart Lock Installation
Smart lock installation in San Bruno runs from about $180 to $420 per door, including the hardware and our labor, quoted in writing before we start. We install and configure Schlage Encode, Yale Assure, Kwikset Halo, and other major smart platforms, then walk you through the app and keypad codes before we leave. For San Bruno homeowners near the fog zone, we recommend models with corrosion-resistant finishes on exterior escutcheons. The salt air off the San Bruno Gap is harder on electronics and finishes than most people expect.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry systems for San Bruno homes and small businesses typically run $150 to $320 per opening, depending on whether we’re replacing an existing deadbolt with a keypad unit or adding a separate access point. We see a lot of demand for keyless entry on garage side doors and rear entries where homeowners want to give a cleaner or dog walker temporary access without cutting extra keys. Codes can be changed in minutes when someone no longer needs entry.
Keypad Lock
A standalone keypad lock in San Bruno generally runs $140 to $260 installed. These are a good fit for multi-tenant buildings where individual unit doors need simple, reliable access without the administrative overhead of a full smart system. We stock keypad locks rated for outdoor exposure, which matters in San Bruno more than in sheltered peninsula cities. The fog does not have to touch everything to corrode it.
Biometric Lock
Biometric lock installation in San Bruno runs from $300 to $600 per door, based on the reader technology and whether it integrates with an existing access system. We mostly install fingerprint and keycard hybrid readers on commercial doors, server rooms, and in a few high-end residential applications. The price includes programming, testing, and a documented record of the install. If a fingerprint reader going to live on an exterior San Bruno door, we’ll tell you which models hold up to salt-laden air and which ones will be a warranty claim in eighteen months.
Key Duplication
Standard key duplication in San Bruno runs $4 to $12 per key at a kiosk, but we do something different. We cut and verify keys in the field, including high-security blanks for restricted systems. If you need a restricted Medeco or Mul-T-Lock key duplicated, the process requires a signed authorization from the key system owner. That’s not a policy we made up, it is how restricted keyways work, and we handle the paperwork so you don’t have to.
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 San Bruno
We are factory-authorized for Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Baldwin, and Schlage, and we service the full spectrum from entry-grade Kwikset to high-security cylinders. That breadth matters in San Bruno, where a 1958 Kwikset on one side of the street and a brand-new Baldwin on the other is a normal afternoon. We carry common parts and keyways on our trucks so most rekeys and replacements in San Bruno happen in a single visit. For restricted systems by Mul-T-Lock or Abloy, we order factory-controlled blanks and cylinders with the authorization in place. No shortcuts on key control.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in San Bruno Homes
These are the conditions we actually encounter on San Bruno doors. You may recognize one.
- Seized exterior deadbolts from fog and salt air. The San Bruno Gap funnels marine air into the city year-round. Exterior cylinders corrode internally, keys stop turning, and people force them until the key snaps. We free or replace the cylinder without damaging the door or frame.
- Original 1950s and 1960s pin-tumbler cylinders. Post-WWII tract housing dominates San Bruno, and many of those original locks are still in service. They’re easy to bump, easy to pick, and often keyed alike with other homes on the same street. A rekey to modern security pins is a fast, inexpensive fix.
- Multi-tenant doors with uncontrolled key copies. Apartment and condo buildings in San Bruno often have common-area and unit doors on low-grade cylinders that have been copied dozens of times. When a tenant leaves without returning keys, the building has a security gap until the locks are rekeyed. Restricted keyways solve this permanently.
- Mixed old-new Crestmoor rebuilds. After the 2010 pipeline explosion, many Crestmoor homes were rebuilt with current code-compliant hardware. But next door, an untouched 1950s original might still have its factory locks. The same street needs two completely different approaches.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in San Bruno, CA
Rekeying a lock in San Bruno runs $55 to $110 per cylinder, and full lock replacement typically runs $90 to $220 per lock including hardware, quoted in writing before we dispatch. Smart lock installation lands between $180 and $420 per door. A typical whole-home rekey on a San Bruno tract home with three to four locks is $165 to $440, depending on cylinder condition and how many locks we can key to the same key. The phone quote is firm. Haven Standard Clause 1 means our technician cannot change it at your door, and there is no call-out surcharge added on arrival. You will see the full price before you agree to anything.
If you already have a written estimate from another company, bring it to us. We review competitor quotes at no charge under our Free Second Opinion policy. We will tell you plainly whether it is fair, inflated, or missing something.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Bruno
Our San Bruno crews regularly work in San Bruno and cover the neighboring peninsula communities of South San Francisco, Pacifica, Daly City, and Burlingame. If you manage properties across multiple cities or need a single locksmith for a building with units in two or three adjacent towns, the same technician can handle the full scope. Call (331) 310-8471 and tell us where the work is.
Serving San Bruno, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Bruno 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 San Bruno
We can typically have a technician on site at a San Bruno rental-car lot or cargo facility within one to two hours of your call, and the rekey itself is usually completed the same day. For commercial key loss, we recommend restricted cylinders from Mul-T-Lock or Abloy rather than a simple rekey, because restrictive keyways make unauthorized copying impossible. Call (331) 310-8471 and our dispatcher will give you a written quote for the full job before anyone is dispatched.
Yes. We build and maintain restricted master key systems for San Bruno condo associations and apartment buildings, including systems from Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Abloy. Owners can cancel a lost or unreturned key from the system, and we issue new keys through the authorized signer. This is the right approach for buildings where a copied key is a building-wide problem, not just a unit problem.
In most cases, yes. The seized cylinder is often the only failing component, and we can free or drill out the cylinder while preserving the original mortise or cylindrical lock body and the steel frame. If the frame itself is badly rusted, we’ll show you the damage before we proceed, and we’ll quote any frame repair as a separate line item before work starts. No surprise charges.
We recommend ANSI Grade 1 hardware with corrosion-resistant finishes for any San Bruno exterior door, especially homes closer to the San Bruno Gap where marine air pushes through year-round. Baldwin, Schlage B60-series, and Mul-T-Lock all make hardware that holds up materially better than entry-grade big-box locks in this climate. The specific model depends on your door thickness, backset, and current frame condition, all of which we check in person.
We answer the phone with a live dispatcher 24/7, and we can usually have a technician at a San Bruno address within 30 to 45 minutes at any hour. Our technicians use non-destructive entry methods first. For rented or HOA-managed doors, the nondestructive approach matters, because the repair cost for a drilled-out door often falls on the resident. A rekey or lock replacement done cleanly is cheaper than a damaged door, and we leave a documented photo record when the job is done. Call (331) 310-8471, any hour.
Contact Novak Lock & Security in San Bruno
If you need a lock installed, a building rekeyed, or a restricted key system built in San Bruno, call (331) 310-8471. You’ll speak with a live person, get a firm written quote before anyone is dispatched, and have a background-checked technician at your door with the parts to finish the job in one visit. Every job ends with a photo record and the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing. Daniel Novak and the Novak Lock & Security team are ready to help, day or night.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, independently owned and operated under The Haven Standard since 2002.
Lock Installation & Rekey in Nearby Areas