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 Temple City
Lock installation and rekeying in Temple City runs $45-$120 per cylinder for a standard rekey and $180-$450 for a full new lock installation, quoted in writing before we dispatch. We serve every neighborhood in Temple City, from the original ranch homes near Live Oak Park to the new custom builds east of Rosemead Boulevard. If you’ve just closed on a Temple City house, the first call you make should be to a locksmith. The builder’s key may still open your door. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll walk you through what you actually need.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Temple City’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Temple City presents a split demand we don’t see anywhere else in the San Gabriel Valley. On a single day, our techs might rekey a 1960s Kwikset deadbolt on Loma Avenue and then program an imported EZON mortise lock on a new Elm Avenue mansion. That split is why homeowners here call us. Since 2002, Novak Lock & Security has worked under The Haven Standard, a documented quality framework shared across all ten Haven brands. Clause 1 is the rule that matters most: the price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. No technician arrives at your Temple City door with permission to change the number. Daniel Novak built the company around that rule because he saw what bait-pricing did to this trade. Every Temple City visit ends with a documented photo record of the work, not a verbal summary. You get the documentation because it’s procedure, not a favor.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Temple City
Here’s what we actually do in Temple City, in plain terms. Every job starts with a written scope and a firm price.
Smart Lock Installation
New Temple City builds often come with hardware picked by a contractor, not a security specialist. We install smart locks that work with your existing deadbolt, your phone, and your door thickness. Solid-core and steel entry doors on the newer custom homes east of Rosemead Boulevard need tailpieces cut to spec, not universal-fit kits that bind after six months. We cut them to spec. A typical smart lock install on a Temple City home runs $150-$350 including the lock, labor, and programming.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry means no key to lose and no key to copy. On older Temple City ranches with wood framing that shifts in summer heat, we check strike plate alignment before mounting anything. A keypad deadbolt installed on a warped jamb will eat batteries and strip its motor. We fix the jamb first, then install. Keyless entry installation in Temple City typically runs $120-$280 per door, programmed and tested in front of you.
Keypad Lock
Keypad locks are the most requested upgrade on the surviving 1950s and 1960s homes in Temple City. Those original doors are often hollow-core with builder-grade Kwikset cylinders. A straight keypad swap without addressing the cheap deadbolt below it leaves a security gap. We’ll show you the existing cylinder’s grade, tell you if it’s worth keeping, and quote the full job in writing before we touch anything.
Biometric Lock
Biometric locks on Temple City custom builds are usually imported hardware, and the install is more involved than a standard Schlage swap. Fingerprint and keypad units need enrollment, admin code set-up, and physical tailpiece fitting. We handle the full install and walk you through deleting a code when a contractor or cleaner no longer needs access. That last part is the one most homeowners forget.
Electronic Lock
Electronic locks in Temple City range from simple battery deadbolts to Z-Wave and Zigbee-integrated systems. If you bought a custom home on Encinita Avenue with an EZON or Gateman mortise lock, do not attempt a generic firmware update. We’ve seen those units bricked by universal tailpieces and wrong-region software. We source the correct parts and program the lock properly, then document the full sequence in writing.
Trusted Brands We Service in Temple City
We work on the full range: Medeco and Mul-T-Lock high-security cylinders, Baldwin and Yale entry hardware, and the Schlage B-series and Kwikset units still in place on original Temple City ranch homes. For the imported EZON and Gateman mortise locks showing up on newer builds along Elm Avenue and Encinita Avenue, we carry the programming tools and tailpiece stock most LA-area locksmiths don’t. That means a rekey or reprogram that might take another shop a week to source parts for is handled same-day or next-day for Temple City customers.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Temple City Homes
- Builder’s keys still active on new construction. The code on the keypad feels like security, but the physical cylinder is often still keyed to the general contractor’s master set. Any subcontractor who worked on the house may have a copy. A rekey costs a fraction of what a future break-in costs.
- Summer deadbolt binding on older ranches. The San Gabriel Valley’s 95-105°F dry-season heat shrinks wood framing around door jambs. On a July call to a 1950s ranch off Encinita Avenue, our tech found the deadbolt binding hard against the strike plate. The jamb had shifted a full eighth of an inch. We re-routed the strike, rekeyed the original Schlage B-series, and left the deadbolt moving smooth.
- Mismatched keyways after years of ad-hoc rekeys. Surviving Temple City ranch homes frequently have two or three different keyways across front, back, and side doors. A homeowner installs a smart lock on the front door and discovers the deadbolt below it still opens with a forgotten key from a previous tenant.
- Imported mortise locks bricked by generic updates. EZON and Gateman units on new Elm Avenue mansions get bricked when owners or handymen try universal firmware updates or wrong tailpieces. Parts aren’t stocked by most local suppliers, so a simple rekey becomes a week-long parts hunt. We keep the right parts in inventory.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Temple City
Here are honest ranges for Temple City work, not teaser rates. A standard cylinder rekey runs $45-$120 per cylinder. A basic deadbolt or knob installation runs $180-$320. Smart lock or keypad installation runs $150-$350 including hardware and programming. High-security cylinder work with Medeco or Mul-T-Lock runs $150-$400 per cylinder depending on key control and restricted keyway requirements. The price quoted on the phone is the full price. No call-out surcharge is added on arrival, and no technician is permitted to revise the number at your Temple City door. That’s Haven Standard Clause 1, and it has been in place since 2002. Call (331) 310-8471 for an exact quote. Estimates are free, and we’ll bring you a competitor’s written quote and review it at no charge.
We Also Serve Cities Near Temple City
Our crews serve Temple City and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley communities, including El Monte, San Gabriel, Arcadia, and Rosemead. If you’re a few blocks over the city line on Las Tunas Drive or near the Rosemead Boulevard corridor, the same written-price rule applies. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our Los Angeles office; crews serve Temple City locally.
Serving Temple City, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Temple 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 Temple City
The builder’s key still opens your front door because the physical cylinder was never rekeyed after construction finished. Builders and their subs use a single master set during the entire project, and handover rarely includes a cylinder change. Any subcontractor who worked on your home, or anyone who handled the key set at the builder’s office, may still have a working copy. We rekey every cylinder in the house, issue you a new restricted key set, and document the full key control chain in writing. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll schedule the rekey before the moving boxes are unpacked.
Yes, in most cases. Original Kwikset cylinders from the 1960s are generally rekeyable unless the internal pins are worn past tolerance or the cylinder has been drilled at some point. We inspect the lock, tell you the cylinder’s grade, and rekey it if it’s mechanically sound. If the deadbolt itself is original, we’ll tell you that too. A standard rekey on a Kwikset cylinder in Temple City runs $45-$120. The lock is often worth keeping; the key control is what needs fixing.
Yes. EZON mortise locks use a specific protocol and tailpiece profile that is different from standard Schlage or Kwikset smart hardware. A universal tailpiece will not work correctly and can damage the motor. We program the lock to your Z-Wave hub, set admin and user codes, and test the full sequence before we leave. Temple City custom builds with imported hardware are a specialty of ours because most LA-area locksmiths don’t stock EZON parts or know the programming sequence. We do both. Call for a written quote.
Usually not. In Temple City’s older ranch homes, the deadbolt sticking in July and August is almost always the wood door jamb shrinking and shifting in the 95-105°F dry-season heat. The strike plate goes out of alignment by as little as an eighth of an inch and suddenly the bolt binds hard. We re-route and re-align the strike plate, and if the cylinder itself is worn we rekey or replace it at the same visit. The fix is usually under $150 and stops the annual call cycle.
Yes. High-security cylinders are standard work for us, not a specialty surcharge. Medeco and Mul-T-Lock cylinders require restricted key blanks and factory-authorized key control, which we maintain. On new Temple City custom builds with solid-core and steel entry doors, we’ll assess the existing cylinder, quote the upgrade in writing, and handle the full install. A high-security cylinder job in Temple City runs $150-$400 per cylinder depending on the keyway and key control level. Call (331) 310-8471 for an exact written quote.
Call Novak Lock & Security for Lock Installation & Rekey in Temple City
If you need a lock installed, rekeyed, or upgraded in Temple City, call (331) 310-8471. A live person answers. You’ll get a firm written price before anyone is dispatched, and the technician who arrives is background-checked and uniformed. Every visit ends with a photo record you keep. We’ve installed and serviced over 60,000 locks, keys, and systems since 2002, and every one of them started with a written price and ended with documentation. That’s the whole job.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, providing lock installation and rekey services in Temple City under The Haven Standard.
Lock Installation & Rekey in Nearby Areas
