Rekeying a lock costs $35 to $50 per cylinder, plus a service call that runs $60 to $180.
So a typical front-door rekey anywhere in the Dallas–Fort Worth area lands between $95 and $230, and a whole house usually stays under $500.
Those are our real 2026 numbers at Meyer’s Local Locksmith, and you get a firm quote before anyone drives out.
Call the shop closer to you: (469) 922-9966 in Fairview/McKinney or (469) 498-1455 in Prosper.
Lock Rekey Prices in 2026
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| House or business lock rekey | $35–$50 per cylinder |
| Service call (once per visit) | $60–$180 |
| Whole house, 4 keyholes (example) | $200–$380 total |
| Car ignition rekey | $95–$185 |
| Car door lock rekey | Quoted by vehicle. Call for a firm price |
Two things set where you land in these ranges.
The service call starts at $60 for weekday, business-hours jobs within 25 miles of our Fairview or Prosper shops, and tops out around $180 for jobs roughly 50 miles out.
Nights, weekends, and the miles in between move you through that range.
The per-cylinder price depends on whether you still have a working key and on the type of lock and keyway.
The radius is measured from whichever shop is nearer you, so call that one: Fairview/McKinney at (469) 922-9966 or Prosper at (469) 498-1455. Bring your locks to either counter and the service call disappears entirely.
How Much Does It Cost to Rekey a House?
Count your keyholes, not your doors. A front door with a deadbolt and a knob is two cylinders.
Most homes have three to six keyholes total, and we can set every one of them to the same key when the keyways match.
| Home setup | Keyholes | Typical total |
|---|---|---|
| Front door only (deadbolt + knob) | 2 | $130–$280 |
| Front + back door | 4 | $200–$380 |
| Front, back, garage entry | 5 | $235–$430 |
| Larger home with side gates | 6 | $270–$480 |
Just bought a house? Rekeying beats changing the locks here.
The previous owner, the contractor, the neighbor holding a spare: every old key stops working, and your hardware stays on the door.
Want to see what rekeying a doorknob actually involves? Here is a quick demo from our shop:
Some Locks Need the Old Key. Here’s Why That Matters for Price.
If you still have a working key, say so when you call. It keeps you at the low end of the range.
Kwikset SmartKey locks, common on homes across the DFW metro, can only be rekeyed with the current working key inserted. That’s how Kwikset designed the reset. No key means the cylinder has to be picked or reset with specialty tools first, and that adds a picking charge to the visit.
Interchangeable-core commercial locks work the same way. Systems from Best, Schlage, Corbin Russwin, and Sargent use a special control key just to pull the core out of the door. When a building manager can’t find the control key, we’re opening the core the hard way before any rekeying starts.
Standard pin-tumbler locks are more forgiving. We can pick most of them open and rekey them even with no key at all, for a smaller added fee.
Rekeying Car Locks
Car rekeying splits into two jobs. Ignition rekeys run $95 to $185, and the exact price follows the vehicle’s make and model, the type of ignition, and the labor of taking it apart.
Door locks are quoted by vehicle, since cylinder design and door access vary a lot between models. Call with your make and model and you get a firm number before we roll out.
One thing rekeying can’t do: transponder chips. If your key has a chip or a fob, the new key still needs programming to start the engine.
That’s a separate service we cover on our car key replacement page. Rekeying makes the old metal key stop turning the lock, which is exactly what you want after a theft or a lost key ring.
Rekeying Commercial Locks
Business rekeys use the same $35 to $50 per cylinder rate as homes, plus the service call. Where commercial jobs grow is the hardware.
Interchangeable-core systems and master key setups take more labor, since each cylinder has to be pinned to answer to both the door key and the master, and offices usually have more keyholes than anyone remembers.
Our commercial locksmith team rekeys storefronts, offices, and warehouses across the DFW area, and we can set up or rework a master system while we’re there.
Should You Rekey or Replace?
Rekey when the hardware is in good shape and the problem is who has keys. Replace when the lock itself is worn, damaged, or due for an upgrade. Rekeying is the cheaper call in most lost-key and new-home situations.
We wrote a full comparison in our rekeying vs. replacing guide if you’re weighing both.
One warning from inside the trade. Some locksmiths push a full lock replacement without ever mentioning that rekeying exists.
Sometimes that’s a skills gap, since rekeying takes pin-by-pin cylinder work that not every tech learned.
Sometimes it just pads the bill with hardware you never needed. So ask the direct question: “Can this lock be rekeyed instead?” An honest locksmith answers with a price, not a pitch.
Why Call Meyer’s Local Locksmith
We’re a family-owned Texas company, licensed and insured (TX license #B18896101 — verify it on the Texas DPS license search), with two walk-in shops:
Between them, our mobile team reaches the whole Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Our Fairview shop holds a 4.9-star Google rating from more than 700 reviews.
The price we quote on the phone is the price you pay. Call (469) 922-9966 for the Fairview/McKinney side or (469) 498-1455 for Prosper, or send a quote request and we’ll call you back.
About the Author
Joe has been a locksmith in the DFW area for more than 25 years and joined Meyer’s Local Locksmith in May 2021. He specializes in residential and commercial locks, from single-cylinder rekeys to master key systems, and refreshed this pricing guide in August 2026 from the rate sheet Meyer’s technicians quote by phone. Meyer’s Local Locksmith is licensed and insured (TX DPS license #B18896101).
Rekeying Cost FAQ
How much do you charge to rekey a lock in DFW?
$35 to $50 per cylinder, plus a $60 to $180 service call that covers the whole visit. One front-door cylinder typically totals $95 to $230.
Walk-ins at our Fairview or Prosper shops skip the service call, so counter rekeys start at just $35 per cylinder.
How much does it cost to rekey a whole house?
Most homes total $165 to $480. That’s three to six keyholes at $35–$50 each plus one service call. We can usually set every lock to a single key, so you carry one key instead of four.
Can a locksmith rekey a lock without the original key?
Usually, yes. Standard pin-tumbler locks can be picked open and rekeyed for a small added fee.
The exceptions are Kwikset SmartKey locks and interchangeable-core commercial systems, which are designed to require a working key or control key, so expect extra labor on those.
Is it cheaper to rekey or replace a lock?
Rekeying is cheaper in most cases, since you pay $35–$50 per cylinder instead of buying new hardware plus installation.
Replacement makes sense when the lock is worn or damaged, or when you want to upgrade to smart locks or higher-security hardware. If a locksmith pushes replacement without mentioning rekeying, ask why.
Do you rekey locks in my area?
If you’re in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, yes. Our mobile locksmiths run 24/7 and cover jobs up to about 50 miles from our Fairview and Prosper shops.
The $60 service call applies within 25 miles on weekdays during business hours, and farther or after-hours jobs scale up from there. Walk-ins are welcome at both counters.
