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.
Key Takeaways for Austin Homeowners
- Lock rekey in Austin typically runs $25-$45 per cylinder, with a small trip fee depending on your distance from our Austin dispatch office. Smart lock installation on an existing door runs $165-$285, hardware included when we supply it.
- If you own a rural property with outbuildings, a single-visit keyed-alike job is the most cost-efficient path. We rekey gates, barns, workshops, and the house in one service call.
- In 78702 and 78704, most older bungalows still carry original hardware. We rekey mortise locks without gutting the door, and we routinely save 1950s Schlage and builder-grade Kwikset hardware that other shops would replace on sight.
- Every price is quoted in writing on the phone before a technician is dispatched. That figure is the price on the invoice. This has been the Novak rule since 2002.
- Call (331) 310-8471 for a free, line-item estimate. A live person answers, and you will not be routed through a call center.
Fast, Reliable Lock Installation & Rekey Across Austin
Lock installation and rekeying in Austin is not a one-size task. The city stretches from dense 1940s bungalow lots in Hyde Park to acreage parcels off 290 and 71 where the front gate, detached shop, and horse stall each carry a different key. Novak Lock & Security handles all of it, and we quote a firm price before we send anyone out. A standard residential rekey in Austin runs $25-$45 per cylinder; a smart lock installation runs $165-$285 depending on the hardware you choose. Call (331) 310-8471, tell us what you have, and we will give you the number in writing before the van moves.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey team covers the full metro. We schedule Austin jobs from our Austin office, and our technicians know the difference between a 1955 Schlage mortise in Travis Heights and a 2022 Kwikset electronic deadbolt in Mueller. That local knowledge changes how we quote, what we stock on the truck, and whether the job is 40 minutes or three hours.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Austin’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
We are a small, independent shop operating under The Haven Standard, a written quality and documentation framework shared across ten brands but applied with one rule above all: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. That rule has held since 2002, and it is the reason Austin homeowners who have been burned by bait-and-switch call-out locksmiths call us instead.
Every technician dispatched to a home in Austin lives in the metro, is background-checked, wears a uniform, and leaves a documented photo record of the work before they drive off. That record shows what we found, what we changed, and what the finished job looks like. It is a procedure, not a courtesy. If you bring us a written estimate from another Austin locksmith, we will review it as a free second opinion.
Our reputation across Austin neighborhoods, from Allandale to South Congress to the East Side, is built on that documentation. The stronger reviews you find for us in Austin come from customers who appreciated that we wrote down the condition of their existing hardware before touching a cylinder, and that the warranty came in writing with a Haven Standard clause reference on it.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Austin
Smart Lock Installation
Smart lock installation in Austin runs $165-$285 for most single-point doors when we supply the hardware. We install and program Schlage Encode, Yale Assure, and Baldwin Evolved models, and we set up the app and guest-code rotation before we leave. For Airbnb hosts in 78702 or 78704, we configure temporary codes with schedules, and we walk you through revoking a code in under a minute.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry on an Austin rental or a primary home eliminates the front-door key for good. A simple keypad deadbolt on a standard prep door runs $185-$260 installed, while a fully integrated system with Wi-Fi and remote code management runs higher. We see a wave of these jobs every February before SXSW and again in September before ACL, when Austin property owners realize they need guest access without handing out physical keys.
Keypad Lock
Keypad locks are the quiet workhorse for Austin garages, side gates, and workshop doors. On a typical Allandale ranch or a rural Travis County property, we install a keypad deadbolt or lever for $145-$225, often as part of a whole-property keyed-alike job. A private gate off a long service drive is the most common add-on we handle southeast of the city.
Biometric Lock
Biometric lock installation in Austin is more specialized. A fingerprint deadbolt from a narrow line of manufacturers runs $320-$500 depending on door prep. On older bungalow doors with mortise hardware, we will tell you honestly whether a biometric retrofit is worth it or whether a high-security mechanical cylinder from Medeco or Mul-T-Lock is the better call. We quote both options in writing.
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.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Austin
We work on Medeco, Yale, Baldwin, and Mul-T-Lock hardware every week in Austin, and our trucks carry common cylinders, tailpieces, and strike plates for these brands so we are not running to a supply house mid-job. If you already have a Baldwin mortise lock on a 1960s front door in Crestview or a Medeco deadbolt on a shop door in the 78738 area, we can rekey it on the first visit. We do not push replacement hardware when a rekey is the right fix.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Austin Homes
- Deadbolts that bind in summer. Austin’s sustained 100°F+ heat expands aluminum door frames and shifts strike plates. The deadbolt will not throw fully. We realign the strike plate at the time of rekey rather than leaving the door with a fresh cylinder that still fights the frame.
- Multiple keys for one property. On acreage outside Austin, it is normal to find four different keys for the front door, back door, gate, and workshop. A partial rekey leaves you carrying a ring full of keys. We key everything alike in one visit.
- Original mortise locks on flipped East Austin bungalows. Many 78702 and 78704 homes still carry 1950s or early-1960s mortise locks. A generic rekey attempt can crack the cylinder or damage the trim. We rekey mortise hardware in place and replace internals only if the wear requires it.
- Short-term rental code chaos. Austin’s STR market means many doors have had four or five past guests with codes and no audit trail. We install smart locks with code logs so you can see who entered and when, then revoke access between bookings.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Austin, TX
Line-item pricing for lock work in Austin is not a secret. Rekeying one standard cylinder runs $25-$45. Rekeying a mortise cylinder runs $35-$60. A typical three-door house with two additional outbuildings on a rural property runs $180-$320 for a full keyed-alike job. Smart lock installation runs $165-$285 on a prepped door and $250-$450 if the door needs mortising or new prep. Key duplication runs $3-$8 for standard blanks and $10-$25 for restricted high-security blanks from Medeco or Mul-T-Lock.
What affects cost: the number of cylinders, whether hardware is mortise or bored, and your distance from our Austin dispatch point. The full price is quoted on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and there is no call-out surcharge added later. That is Haven Standard Clause 1. If the price on our invoice does not match the price on the phone, you do not pay the difference.
We Also Serve Cities Near Austin
Our Austin-based Lock Installation & Rekey in Austin coverage extends to Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Round Rock, and Leander. Response times vary by distance from our Austin dispatch, and pricing for those areas is quoted on the phone with the same written-before-work rule. Rural acreage jobs are common across all of these cities, and we carry the cylinders to key alike a three-outbuilding property in a single afternoon.
Serving Austin, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Austin 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 Austin
Yes. A full acreage keyed-alike job in the Austin area is typically completed in one visit of two to four hours, depending on how many cylinders you have and whether any are mortise or high-security. We quote the whole property, not per door. Call (331) 310-8471 and describe your layout, and we will give you a firm figure before we dispatch.
We rekey original mortise locks in Austin bungalows every week. The process is slower than a standard cylinder rekey and runs $35-$60 per mortise cylinder, but we do it without drilling the door or replacing the trim. If the internals are too worn to safely rekey, we tell you before we do anything and give you a replacement quote in writing.
It will not if the strike plate is realigned as part of the job. Austin’s sustained 100°F+ heat expands aluminum door frames and pushes strike plates out of alignment. We check the throw on every deadbolt after a rekey and adjust the strike plate at no extra labor cost on the same visit. That is part of our standard Austin service, not an add-on.
Yes. We configure Schlage Encode and Yale Assure locks with temporary guest codes that expire on a schedule, and we show you how to create and revoke codes from your phone before we leave. For Austin STR hosts, we also set up a code log so you can see entry history between guests. Call (331) 310-8471 for an exact configured price.
Yes. We rekey existing cylinders on the front, back, side, and garage doors to a single key without drilling into any door, provided the cylinders are functional. For a 1970s Allandale ranch with original Kwikset or Schlage hardware, a full keyed-alike job typically runs $120-$220. If a cylinder is too worn to rekey, we replace just that cylinder and key the new one to match the rest.
Call Novak Lock & Security for Lock Work in Austin
Call (331) 310-8471 for a free, line-item estimate on any lock installation, rekey, smart lock, or keyed-alike job in Austin. A live person answers. The quote you get on the phone is the figure on the invoice, and if the job is not done right, our written 365-Day Done Right Promise applies for a full year. No pressure, no bait pricing, no dispatch fee surprises. That is the whole point.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Austin since 2002.