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 Washington, D.C.
Lock installation and rekeying in Washington, D.C. costs $95-$185 per cylinder for rekeying and $180-$520 for new lock installation, depending on hardware grade and door condition. We serve every quadrant of the District - from Capitol Hill rowhouses to Kalorama embassies - with written pricing before any work starts. Call (331) 310-8471 for a firm quote, answered by a live person day or night.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey team works on hardware that most national chains won’t touch: original mortise locks from the 1890s, skeleton-key assemblies, pre-war apartment master systems, and high-security cylinders specified by federal contractors. Daniel Novak built this company on a simple rule that still governs every job: the price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. Haven Standard Clause 1. No exceptions, no on-site upcharges, and no drilling into a door that could be saved with a cylinder swap.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Washington, D.C.’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Washington, D.C. is not a typical market. The housing stock is older, the security expectations are higher, and the consequences of a bad lockout are more serious than almost anywhere else in the country. We work in this city every day. We know that a 1910 Capitol Hill row house has a mortise lock with a five-pin cylinder that predates modern pin-and-tumbler standards. We know that a Cleveland Park apartment building from 1938 probably has a master-key system that was last rekeyed when the Carter administration was in office.
That local knowledge shows up in how we quote work. A rekey on a standard Schlage deadbolt is straightforward. A rekey on an original Corbin or Sargent mortise cylinder in a Shaw rowhouse requires different pins, different tools, and a different level of care. We stock parts for both. Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and every visit ends with a documented photo record of the work - not as an add-on, but as a standard procedure under The Haven Standard.
We serve all of Washington, D.C. - the full District, from Georgetown to Deanwood, from Friendship Heights to Congress Heights. Our dispatch is coordinated from our Washington, DC office, and crews respond to calls across the city with the same written-price guarantee.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Washington, D.C.
Smart Lock Installation
Smart locks on a 1920s door in Washington, D.C. are not a drop-in job. The original door is often solid oak or chestnut, the bore hole may be a non-standard size, and the frame has been painted shut three times since the Eisenhower administration. We install smart locks - Schlage Encode, August, Yale Assure, and similar - with the care those doors require. We enlarge bores cleanly, align strike plates to the actual door position, and test the lock through full cycles before we leave. Deadbolt and smart lock installation in Washington, D.C. typically runs $210-$480 including hardware and labor, quoted in writing before we start.
Keyless Entry
For Washington, D.C. homeowners who carry a federal ID, a metro card, and a phone, keyless entry eliminates one more point of failure. We install keypad deadbolts and lever sets on everything from 1890s Victorian front doors in Bloomingdale to 2005 condos in NoMa. The job cost depends on whether your door accepts a standard cylindrical prep or needs custom mortising. Keyless entry installation in Washington, D.C. runs $180-$420 for a single door, with the work documented and warranted for 365 days.
Keypad Lock
Keypad locks are the most common request we get from D.C. homeowners who rent rooms, host AirBnB guests, or manage a nanny or cleaner who needs scheduled access. We recommend models with audit trails - you can see which code was used and when. Keypad lock installation in Washington, D.C. typically runs $190-$430, including the lock, installation, and programming. If you have an existing keypad lock that just needs new codes or a rekey, that’s $95-$150.
Biometric Lock
Biometric locks - fingerprint or facial recognition - are increasingly common in Washington, D.C. homes where the owner works in defense, intelligence, or law enforcement. These locks have specific power, weather-sealing, and backup-key requirements, and not every door is a good candidate. We’ll tell you honestly whether a biometric lock will work on your specific door before you spend a dollar. Biometric lock installation in Washington, D.C. runs $280-$650, depending on the model and door prep.
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 Washington, D.C.
We install, rekey, and service the full spectrum: entry-grade Kwikset and Schlage, mid-grade Baldwin and Sargent, and high-security Mul-T-Lock and Abloy. The high-security brands matter in this city. D.C. is home to thousands of residents with security clearances who sometimes work from home with sensitive materials. A Mul-T-Lock or Abloy cylinder is rated against picking, bumping, and drilling in ways a standard Kwikset is not. We stock key blanks, pins, and replacement cylinders locally in Washington, D.C., so rekeys and repairs don’t wait on a parts shipment from Ohio. Factory-authorized work on Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Abloy is performed by technicians trained to the manufacturer’s specifications.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Washington, D.C. Homes
- Original mortise locks with worn-out cylinders. On Capitol Hill, Shaw, and Petworth rowhouses built between 1880 and 1920, the original mortise lock is often still in place - and the cylinder has decades of wear. Drilling it out destroys the brass faceplate and often splits the thin wood stile. We pick or swap the cylinder instead, preserving the original hardware.
- Deadbolts that bind after winter freeze-thaw cycles. Washington, D.C.’s humid subtropical climate produces real freeze-thaw cycling from November through February. Wooden door frames in century-old rowhouses swell and shift, throwing deadbolt throws out of strike-plate alignment. We see a wave of these calls every winter, and the fix is usually re-aligning or deepening the strike plate - not replacing the lock.
- Pre-war apartment master-key systems with no documentation. The 1920s-1940s buildings in Cleveland Park, Dupont Circle, and 16th Street Heights often still run on master-key systems that no one has mapped in decades. Rekeying those with a generic pin-and-tumbler kit without understanding the top-level master can strand tenants or leave the building unsecured. We map the system first, then rekey.
- Generic deadbolts installed on warped original doors. A standard residential deadbolt on a warped original door in Shaw or Petworth - without a reinforcement plate or deeper mortising - will bind after the first seasonal shift. The bolt sits halfway in the strike plate, the key turns hard, and eventually the lock fails. We fix this by mortising the frame deeper and, when needed, installing an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt above the old lock.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Washington, D.C., DC
Here’s what you can expect to pay in Washington, D.C. for the most common jobs. These are firm ranges, quoted in writing before any work starts:
- Rekey a standard deadbolt or knob cylinder: $95-$145 per cylinder
- Rekey a mortise cylinder (original row house hardware): $110-$185 per cylinder
- Rekey a full house (three to five cylinders): $260-$520
- New deadbolt installation (standard cylindrical): $180-$360 including hardware
- New ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt installation (mortise or reinforced frame): $260-$520 including hardware
- Smart lock installation: $210-$480 including hardware and programming
- Key duplication (standard blanks): $4-$12 per key
- Key duplication (high-security, restricted blanks - Mul-T-Lock, Abloy): $15-$45 per key, with proof of ownership required
The price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice. There is no call-out surcharge added on arrival, and there is no “discovered problem” upcharge. If we find that the job is different from what was described, we stop, show you what we found, and give you a new written price before any further work happens. That’s Haven Standard Clause 1, and it has been the rule since 2002.
One thing we’ll be honest about: some historic doors in Washington, D.C. genuinely need lock replacement rather than rekeying. If your original mortise cylinder is cracked, your bolt is bent, or your door frame is so warped that a re-aligned strike plate won’t hold, we’ll tell you. We won’t sell you a rekey that fails in six months. We’ll show you the worn part, explain the option, and quote the replacement in writing. The choice stays yours.
The Embassy Row Factor: Why Non-Destructive Entry Is a Hard Requirement Here
Washington, D.C. is home to more than 175 foreign embassies, most along Massachusetts Avenue NW from Dupont Circle through Kalorama and into Ward Circle. Legally, each embassy building is foreign sovereign territory. A standard forced-entry or bypass technique that is routine on a residential lockout in Arlington or Bethesda carries serious diplomatic and legal consequences here. Our technicians working the Kalorama and Embassy Row corridor operate under a hard rule: non-destructive entry only, key control strictly documented, and no drilling that could be perceived as tampering with a protected property line. This is not a preference. It is a uniquely Washington, D.C. professional requirement that exists nowhere else in the mid-Atlantic.
That rule extends to the neighborhoods around Embassy Row. Many residents of Kalorama, Woodley Park, and Massachusetts Avenue Heights are diplomats, embassy staff, or federal employees with security protocols that govern their homes. When we install or rekey a lock in these neighborhoods, we document the work with a photo record and provide a written scope that meets the documentation standards those employers expect.
What We Found On a 1912 Columbia Heights Row House
On a 1912 row house off 14th Street NW in Columbia Heights, our tech found a warped original front door where the new Schlage deadbolt’s bolt did not align with the strike plate by nearly a quarter inch. The door was original to the house and had original mortise lock hardware. We rekeyed the existing five-pin mortise cylinder to the owner’s new key, then mortised the frame deeper for an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt above the old skeleton-key assembly. No drilling, no damage to the door, and the old key still works for the privacy latch. That is what Washington, D.C. lock work looks like when the tech knows the difference between a door that can be saved and a lock that cannot.
We Also Serve Cities Near Washington, D.C.
While this page covers Lock Installation & Rekey in Washington, D.C. specifically, our techs regularly take calls from residents in nearby communities across the District’s edge. If you’re just outside the city line, call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll confirm whether your address falls in our current service area. We serve the full District and coordinate scheduling from our Washington, DC office.
Serving Washington, D.C., DC - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C.
Yes, in most cases we can rekey the existing mortise cylinder and leave your original brass faceplate, knob, and escutcheon untouched. The job costs $110-$185 per mortise cylinder in Washington, D.C., and the work preserves the original hardware. If the cylinder itself is cracked or worn beyond reliable function, we’ll show you the part and quote a replacement cylinder that fits the existing mortise pocket without altering the door. Call (331) 310-8471 for a firm quote before we dispatch anyone.
Rekeying runs $95-$145 per standard cylinder in Washington, D.C., while replacing the same lock with new hardware runs $180-$360 for a standard deadbolt. Rekeying makes sense when the existing lock is in good mechanical condition and you just need new keys. Replacement makes sense when the lock is worn, the finish is failing, or you want to upgrade to a higher security grade. We’ll tell you which one applies to your specific lock before quoting anything. Call (331) 310-8471 - the estimate is free and the price is in writing before work starts.
That depends on your employer’s security requirements, but many D.C. residents who handle federal materials at home do install high-security cylinders - Mul-T-Lock, Medeco, or Abloy - on their primary entry doors. Those cylinders resist picking, bumping, and drilling. High-security lock installation in Washington, D.C. runs $260-$520 for a single door, and we provide the written documentation some employers require for home-office security compliance. If your agency has a specific hardware list, bring it to the call and we’ll match it.
The most common cause is freeze-thaw cycling. Washington, D.C.’s humid subtropical climate produces repeated freezing and thawing from November through February, which swells and shifts the wooden door frames common to the city’s 1880s-1920s rowhouses. The deadbolt throw drifts out of alignment with the strike plate, and the lock binds. The fix is usually re-alignment or deeper mortising of the strike plate, not a new lock. We handle these calls all winter long. Call (331) 310-8471 and a tech will diagnose it on site.
Yes, in nearly all cases. The job requires careful bore enlargement if the existing cylindrical prep is non-standard, plus strike-plate alignment to the actual door position - especially if the frame has shifted over a century of seasonal movement. Smart lock installation on historic doors in Washington, D.C. runs $210-$480 including hardware, programming, and a documented photo record. We preserve the original door; we don’t drill through it.
Call Novak Lock & Security for Lock Installation & Rekey in Washington, D.C.
If you need a lock rekeyed, a deadbolt installed, or a smart lock retrofitted onto a 1920s original door, call (331) 310-8471. A live person answers. You’ll get a firm price in writing before anyone is dispatched, and the technician who arrives is the one who does the work - background-checked, uniformed, and working to The Haven Standard. Every job is backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not done right, we make it right.
Daniel Novak and the team at Novak Lock & Security have installed and serviced over 60,000 locks, keys, and systems since 2002. Every single one started with a written price. That’s the rule.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Washington, D.C. with written-price lock installation and rekey work since 2002.
Lock Installation & Rekey in Nearby Areas