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 Fontana
Lock installation and rekeying in Fontana typically costs $65-$145 for a standard rekey (per cylinder), $95-$220 for new deadbolt installation, and $180-$450 for smart lock installation including hardware. Most jobs are completed in under two hours, and we serve every Fontana neighborhood including Sierra Lakes, Summit Heights, Southridge, and the Cherry Avenue corridor. If you just bought a home in Fontana, closed on a new build, or manage a rental property with tenant turnover, call Daniel Novak’s team at (331) 310-8471. The price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice. That rule has been in place since 2002, and it is the entire reason we put our name on the van.
Fontana is not a one-size-fits-all locksmith market. The city’s housing stock runs from 1980s tract homes off Sierra Avenue to master-planned communities like Summit Heights, plus a commercial spine along Cherry and Jurupa Avenues that includes some of the largest distribution centers in the western United States. A locksmith working Fontana has to know the difference between a builder-grade Kwikset that has baked in 105°F heat for twenty years and a high-security Mul-T-Lock cylinder on a warehouse office door. We do. Our Lock Installation & Rekey team works both sides of that divide every day.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Fontana’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
The short version: we write the price down before we touch a single screw, and we have done that for more than 20 years. The long version matters more to a Fontana homeowner. We have rekeyed tract homes where the previous owner’s builder key still operated the front deadbolt. We have replaced heat-warped strike plates on doors that would not latch in July. We have cut master key systems for logistics offices where three shifts of warehouse staff need different levels of access. None of this is exotic to us. It is Fontana’s normal workload.
Every technician who arrives at a Fontana address is background-checked and uniformed. You receive a documented photo record of the work when we leave, not as an upgrade but as standard procedure. That record sits under the Haven Standard, the quality and documentation framework we share across all ten Haven brands. Daniel Novak oversees the work personally. When a Fontana customer calls with a question after the job, they reach a live person at (331) 310-8471. No queue. No callback window.
Our Free Second Opinion applies to Fontana customers too. If another company wrote you an estimate for lock work and you want a straight reading of it, bring it to us. We will review it at no charge and tell you what is necessary and what is not. It is the same discipline we apply to our own pricing: Haven Standard Clause 1 says the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. That clause was written before the first Fontana job we ever ran, and it still governs every one since.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Fontana
Smart Lock Installation
Smart lock installation in Fontana runs $180-$450 depending on the hardware and whether you need integration with an existing hub. Most Fontana homes we enter already have some form of smart home system (Z-Wave, Zigbee, or Wi-Fi), and the key to a clean install is matching the lock protocol to what the house already runs. We install Yale, Schlage Encode, and Kwikset Halo locks, among others. For a home off Summit Heights, we recently paired a Yale Assure Lock 2 with an existing Z-Wave hub and retired the builder-grade deadbolt in the same trip.
If you buy a smart lock online and bring it to us, we will install it and verify the firmware, app pairing, and auto-lock settings before we leave. We will also rekey the physical cylinder so your old keys no longer work. That last step gets skipped by a surprising number of general handymen, and it leaves the smart lock’s mechanical keyway exposed to every prior key in circulation.
Keyless Entry and Keypad Locks
Keypad lock installation in Fontana costs $160-$320 for a quality single-cylinder keypad deadbolt, installed. Fontana’s rental market makes these particularly popular among property managers along Jurupa Avenue and Sierra Avenue: a keypad eliminates the rekey cycle between tenants. We install keypad deadbolts (with a key override) and full keyless entry systems for multi-unit buildings. On a Fontana apartment complex with high tenant turnover, we can rekey an entire building’s units to a master key plan and switch the entry points to keypad access in a single scheduled visit.
Fontana’s summer heat has one effect worth knowing about keypads: cheap alkaline batteries leak faster in sustained 105°F+ temperatures. We recommend lithium batteries on all Fontana keypad installs, and we note the battery type on your invoice so you can replace them correctly. No upcharge for the recommendation. It is just what the climate requires.
Rekeying
Rekey cost in Fontana is typically $65-$145 for the first cylinder and $25-$45 per additional cylinder keyed to the same new key. If you just bought a 1990s tract home, a rekey is usually enough to secure the property without replacing hardware, provided the existing locks are still mechanically sound. But Fontana’s climate works against old hardware. A Kwikset deadbolt that has cycled through two decades of Inland Empire summers often has internal pin wear that makes rekeying a temporary fix at best. We will tell you honestly if the cylinder is too worn to rekey reliably, and we will show you the pin wear before recommending replacement.
Rekeying matters most at handover. When a builder finishes a spec home in Fontana, the same key often sits with the construction superintendent, the cleaning crew, the listing agent, and half a dozen subcontractors. The first thing we do on a new construction rekey is pull the builder’s key out of circulation entirely. New pins, new key, and no keyway carries the old cuts. On newer master-planned homes near Sierra Lakes, this is the single most common job we run in the first week after closing.
Biometric Locks
Biometric lock installation in Fontana runs $220-$500 and we primarily install fingerprint-activated deadbolts for offices, private gates, and a small but growing number of residential buyers who want the convenience without a keypad code to share. Fontana’s logistics corridor generates most of our biometric work: warehouse managers use fingerprint access on sensitive storage rooms where a pin code is too easy to share across shifts. We install and service biometric locks from Yale and Ultraloq, and we always leave a mechanical key override in place. If the fingerprint sensor fails on a 110°F afternoon, you still need to get through the door.
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 Fontana
We stock and service the full range: entry-grade Kwikset and Schlage for tract homes, mid-range Baldwin for upgraded residential work, and high-security Medeco and Mul-T-Lock cylinders for commercial and high-value properties. We are factory-authorized for Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Baldwin, and Schlage, which means we can cut and register high-security keys without sending the cylinder out to a third party. For a Fontana homeowner, that means a Mul-T-Lock rekey for a rental property off Summit Heights gets done same day, not shipped to a lock shop in Los Angeles. We carry the common pin kits and cylinders for Fontana’s dominant housing stock on the truck, so a standard rekey rarely requires a second visit.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Fontana Homes
- Builder’s key handover. On spec homes and recent resales throughout Fontana, the builder’s key frequently remains in circulation among subcontractors, cleaners, and prior viewers. Until the lock is rekeyed, your front door may still open with a key you never saw. We pull the builder’s key out of circulation on the same visit, re-pin the cylinder, and leave two fresh keys on the counter.
- Heat-warped strike plates. Fontana records summer highs above 105°F, and metal door frames expand enough to shift strike plates by a fraction of an inch. That fraction is enough to make a deadbolt bolt drag and eventually wear down the bolt. We see it most in 1980s-2000s tract homes with lightweight steel doors. A rekey will not fix a misaligned strike. We true the strike and adjust the deadbolt throw before we consider the job done.
- Keyway grit from Santa Ana winds. Blown debris from the Santa Anas works into patio door locks and garage entry keyways across Fontana. The result is a key that inserts stiffly, then suddenly stops entering at all, and sometimes a key that shears off inside the cylinder. Non-destructive extraction and a rekey fixes it. We carry extraction tools on every Fontana truck.
- Builder-grade hardware on aging tract homes. Most Fontana homes built between 1980 and 2005 left the builder with Kwikset grade 2 locks, which were never designed for 20 years of Inland Empire heat. We frequently see cylinder pins worn to the point where almost any Kwikset key of similar profile will turn the plug. That is a security gap, and we will show it to you on the pin tray after we pull the cylinder.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Fontana, CA
Here are the ranges we quote most often in Fontana:
- Standard rekey (first cylinder): $65-$145
- Each additional cylinder keyed alike: $25-$45
- New deadbolt installation (hardware included): $95-$220
- Smart lock installation (hardware included): $180-$450
- Keypad lock installation: $160-$320
- Biometric lock installation: $220-$500
Every quote includes all labor, hardware, and the documented photo record. There is no service call surcharge added when the tech arrives. The price Daniel Novak’s dispatcher gives you on the phone at (331) 310-8471 is the exact price on the invoice. If the technician discovers something unexpected mid-job, they will stop and show you in writing before any additional work continues. That is Haven Standard Clause 1, and it has been the rule since before we ever set foot in Fontana.
We Also Serve Cities Near Fontana
Novak Lock & Security runs crews throughout the western Inland Empire from our Fontana service area. We regularly handle lock installation and rekeying in Rialto, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, and San Bernardino. Dispatch is coordinated from the Inland Empire office, and Fontana jobs are routed to the nearest available technician. The same written-price rule applies in every city we serve.
Serving Fontana, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fontana 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 Fontana
A rekey is enough if the existing cylinders and deadbolts are still mechanically sound. We will pull the cylinder and check pin wear before we rekey. On many 1990s Fontana tract homes, the original Kwikset hardware has worn to the point where the cylinder can be turned by a similar-profile key, and we recommend replacement instead. Either way, you will get a written price before we start. Call (331) 310-8471 and we will quote the rekey range and tell you what to look for before the tech arrives.
You rekey every exterior lock before you move furniture in. The builder’s key on a Fontana spec home has typically been in the hands of the superintendent, cleaning crew, and multiple subcontractors, and there is no reliable way to recover all copies. We re-pin each cylinder to a fresh key and verify that the old key no longer turns the plug before we leave. The job takes under two hours on most new builds, and we will also check that your strike plates are aligned, since many Fontana homes close with doors that already bind slightly from heat. Call (331) 310-8471 to schedule the rekey; the quote is firm before we dispatch.
Yes, in most cases. We install Yale, Schlage, and Kwikset smart locks and match the protocol (Z-Wave, Zigbee, or Wi-Fi) to the hub or security panel your home already runs. If your existing system uses a proprietary panel that does not support third-party locks, we will tell you that honestly before you buy hardware. On a recent Fontana install near Summit Heights, we paired a Yale Assure Lock 2 with the homeowner’s existing Z-Wave hub and retired the builder-grade deadbolt in the same trip. Call (331) 310-8471 for a written quote; mention your panel brand and we will confirm compatibility over the phone.
A rekey will not fix a sticking lock unless the problem is inside the cylinder. In Fontana’s summer heat, the usual cause is a strike plate that has shifted as the metal door frame expands; the deadbolt bolt drags on the strike instead of seating cleanly. We true the strike plate and adjust the bolt throw, and only then rekey if needed. The fix typically takes under an hour. If your key is also stiff in the keyway, that is often grit from Santa Ana winds, and we can extract the debris during the same visit. Call (331) 310-8471 and describe the problem; the estimate is free.
We can rekey a typical 8-12 unit Fontana apartment building in a single scheduled visit, keyed to your existing master system or with fresh master and tenant keys cut on site. For properties with continuous turnover, we recommend keyways that let tenant keys be changed per unit without changing the master key, which speeds future rekeys. We schedule multi-unit commercial work with a written scope and flat per-lock price before the visit. Call (331) 310-8471 and ask for Daniel Novak directly; he will walk the property and put the scope in writing.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Fontana with written-price lock installation and rekeying under The Haven Standard.