Lock Rekeying
Moving into a new home in Woodmere, just handed the keys over to a departing tenant in Far Rockaway, or recently ended a relationship where someone still holds a copy of your house key — any of these situations means it's time to take control of who can walk through your door. Lock rekeying is the fastest, most cost-effective way to do exactly that. Wake County Locksmith is a licensed, insured, 24/7 mobile locksmith serving the Five Towns, the Rockaways, and the JFK corridor, and we come directly to your Apex, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, or Arverne address so you never have to remove a single lock yourself.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week · Licensed, bonded & insured
Rekeying works by having a trained technician disassemble your existing lock cylinder and replace the internal pin stacks with a new set that corresponds to a freshly cut key. The moment the job is done, every key that previously opened that lock — your landlord's spare, your ex-roommate's copy, the set you lost at JFK Terminal 4 — becomes completely useless. The hardware you already trust stays in place, your door frame stays intact, and you walk away with a working key that nobody else in the world holds. It typically costs a fraction of what a full lock replacement would run, making it one of the smartest security upgrades you can make.
What we do
Available 24/7
Day, night, weekends and holidays — a real local locksmith answers and rolls a fully-stocked van.
Fast local response
Based in Apex, we reach the Apex area in well under an hour.
Licensed, bonded & insured
Background-checked technicians, up-front pricing, and no surprise add-ons when we arrive.
Damage-free entry
We pick and bypass locks the right way, so most lockouts are solved without drilling anything.
More about our work
Everything you need to know about how we help — at a glance.
How Rekeying Actually Works — and Why It's Not the Same as Changing Your Locks
Inside every pin-tumbler lock — the most common type found on homes throughout Valley Stream, Rockaway Beach, and the neighborhoods around JFK — is a series of spring-loaded pin stacks. Each stack has a key pin and a driver pin. When the right key is inserted, every pin stack lifts to precisely the correct height, aligning a shear line that allows the cylinder to rotate and the lock to open. When we rekey your lock, we remove the cylinder, use a specialized follower tool to extract those pin stacks, and replace each key pin with a new one of a different length. The cylinder goes back into your existing hardware, and a new key — cut to match the new pin heights — is the only one that works.
This process leaves your existing deadbolt or knob lock completely intact on your door. There's no drilling, no prying, and no damage to the door or frame when a qualified technician performs the job — and that matters in older homes with wood frames common across Five Towns neighborhoods like Hewlett or Inwood. The lock brand, finish, and grade all stay the same. If you paid for a quality Schlage or Kwikset deadbolt when you first moved in, you keep that quality. You simply sever the key history that came with it.
When Rekeying Makes More Sense Than Full Lock Replacement
Rekeying is the right call in a wide range of situations that our customers across the Five Towns and Rockaways encounter every day. New homeowners who just closed on a property in Woodsburgh or a co-op in Edgemere should always rekey — the previous owner's real estate agent, contractors, neighbors, and relatives may hold unknown copies. Landlords in Lawrence or Arverne turning over a rental unit should rekey between every tenant as a legal-liability baseline, not just a courtesy. Anyone who has lost a key in a busy public place — the LIRR platform at Valley Stream station, the parking garage at JFK — should rekey promptly, because a lost key with an address traceable through your registration gives a motivated thief exactly what they need.
Full lock replacement does make sense sometimes: when hardware is visibly damaged, severely worn, or simply outdated and you want to upgrade to a higher security grade. But if your locks are in good working condition and the issue is simply key control, rekeying delivers the same security outcome — an unknown key history is wiped clean — without the added material cost of new hardware. We'll always give you an honest assessment on the spot. If we open your door in Belle Harbor at 2 a.m. and see that the deadbolt cylinder is cracked or the lock mechanism is compromised, we'll tell you replacement is the smarter move and explain exactly why.
Master Key Systems and Rekeying Multiple Locks to One Key
One of the most practical benefits of a professional rekeying visit is the opportunity to consolidate your keys. Many homeowners in the Five Towns end up carrying a jangling ring of keys because their front door, back door, garage entry, and mail slot were all installed at different times with different key blanks. When our mobile technician comes to your home, we can rekey all compatible cylinders in the same visit so that one single key opens every lock on the property. This is called keying alike, and it's a service homeowners in Cedarhurst and Rockville Centre consistently appreciate once they experience it.
For property managers overseeing multi-unit buildings near JFK or rental portfolios across the Rockaways, we can also design a master key system — one master key that opens all units for maintenance access, while each tenant's individual key opens only their own door. This kind of layered key control is a professional-grade solution that used to require calling a commercial locksmith for a multi-day project. Because Wake County Locksmith is fully mobile and available around the clock, we can plan and execute a master key program across your property in a single scheduled visit, or stage it across multiple calls — whatever works with your tenants' schedules.
Pricing, What to Expect, and Our 24/7 Mobile Process
Every rekeying job is priced based on a few real factors: the number of locks being rekeyed, the brand and type of cylinder (a standard Kwikset is straightforward; a high-security Medeco or Mul-T-Lock requires more time and specialized pinning kits), whether you need us to make additional key copies, and, for after-hours calls, the time of service. We never quote a number we can't stand behind. Before any work begins, we confirm the exact total with you — no surprise fees added at the end of the job. We're upfront about what's involved, and you make an informed decision before we turn a single pin.
Our process is fully mobile — we carry a complete pinning kit, key-cutting equipment, and the tools for dozens of common residential and commercial lock brands right in our service vehicle. Whether you're in a house in Woodmere, an apartment above a store in Far Rockaway, or a condo complex a mile from JFK arrivals, we come to you. Day or night, seven days a week, 365 days a year. When you call or text us, a licensed and insured technician is dispatched directly to your address. There's no shop to visit, no lock to remove and ship off. Most standard residential rekeying jobs are completed in under an hour from the time we arrive.
Frequently asked questions
Can you rekey a lock without the original key?
Yes. If you've lost your key or moved into a property where no working key exists, we first pick or bypass the lock using non-destructive techniques, then proceed with rekeying as normal. We're trained to open locks without drilling whenever possible, preserving your existing hardware. This is a very common scenario for new homeowners and rental turnovers throughout the Five Towns and Rockaways, and it doesn't add significant time to the job.
How long does a rekeying appointment take?
A single lock typically takes 15 to 30 minutes once we're on site. If you have multiple locks — say, a front deadbolt, a back-door knob lock, and a garage entry — we can usually complete the full job in under an hour. We'll give you a realistic time estimate when you call, and since we're mobile and come directly to your home in Apex, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, or wherever you are, there's no wait time for a shop appointment.
Does rekeying work on every type of lock?
Rekeying works on the vast majority of pin-tumbler cylinder locks, which covers nearly all standard residential deadbolts and knob locks. Most major brands — Schlage, Kwikset, Baldwin, Yale, and many others — can be rekeyed in the field. Some specialty locks, like certain smart locks or wafer-tumbler locks, use different mechanisms and may require a different approach. We'll identify your lock type when we arrive and let you know immediately if rekeying isn't the right solution and what the alternative would be.
I'm a landlord in Far Rockaway. Do I legally have to rekey between tenants?
New York State does not have a single statewide statute that universally mandates rekeying between tenants, but many local codes, lease agreements, and habitability standards touch on the obligation to provide secure, working locks. More practically, failing to rekey exposes you to serious liability if a former tenant uses an old key to access the unit and a new tenant is harmed or their property is stolen. We strongly recommend rekeying as standard practice between every tenancy — it's a small cost compared to even one legal or insurance dispute.
Can you rekey my locks to match my car key or a key I already carry?
Rekeying a door lock to match a car key isn't feasible — automotive keys use entirely different keyway profiles and security systems than residential locks. However, if you have two or more home locks from the same brand and keyway family, we can absolutely rekey them so they all work on one existing house key you already carry. When you call, describe the brands on your locks and we'll let you know upfront whether keying-alike is possible in your specific situation.
Is rekeying really secure? Could a locksmith just rekey it again later?
A rekeyed lock is just as secure as it was before — the pin configuration is completely new, and the old key is mechanically useless. As for whether someone could rekey it again: any physical lock can theoretically be picked or bypassed by a skilled technician, but that's true regardless of whether you rekey or replace. If you want a higher baseline of pick resistance and key duplication control, we can also discuss upgrading to a restricted or high-security cylinder during the same visit. We'll explain the trade-offs honestly so you can choose the level of security that fits your situation and budget.