Lock Change or Re-Key?
Philadelphia Homeowner’s Guide [2026]

Every week I get calls that go the same way: someone just moved into a new place in Fishtown or South Philly, or they lost a key, or a relationship ended badly — and they want to know what to do about their locks. Nine times out of ten, the answer is rekeying. But most people don’t know that until after they’ve paid for something they didn’t need.

This guide is the straight answer. What rekeying actually is, what replacing a lock actually involves, when each one makes sense, and what you’ll pay in Philadelphia in 2026. Read this once and you’ll never overpay for lock work again.

What Does It Mean to Re-Key a Lock?

Rekeying is a lock cylinder operation — it doesn’t touch the hardware on your door at all. Inside every pin tumbler lock (which is what almost every residential deadbolt and knob lock is) there are a series of small spring-loaded pins stacked in pairs. The top pin sits above the shear line; the bottom pin drops into the key’s cuts when you insert the right key. When the peaks and valleys of the key align all the bottom pins exactly at the shear line, the cylinder rotates and the lock opens.

When a locksmith rekeys your lock, they disassemble the cylinder, remove those bottom driver pins, and replace them with a new set sized to match a completely different key. The old key no longer aligns the pins at the shear line — it won’t turn. The lock hardware, the deadbolt throw, the strike plate, the door reinforcement — none of that changes. You get new keys. Everyone who had your old keys is now locked out.

That’s it. That’s all rekeying is. It’s a pin-swap that takes 15–30 minutes per lock and costs a fraction of replacement.

What Does It Mean to Change (Replace) a Lock?

Replacing a lock means exactly what it sounds like — the entire lockset comes off the door. The deadbolt, the knob or lever, the cylinder, the strike plate if needed — all of it gets removed and a new unit goes in its place.

You’re starting from scratch with new hardware. That’s useful in specific situations (which we’ll cover below), but it’s not automatically better than rekeying. A brand-new $50 Kwikset from Home Depot is not more secure than a well-maintained 3-year-old Schlage B60N that just got rekeyed. The security grade of the hardware matters far more than whether it’s new.

Replacement costs more — both in parts and labor — because the job is physically bigger. It also takes longer, especially if the door prep needs to be adjusted for a different brand or size.

2026 Price Comparison: Re-Key vs. Replace

Here’s where most people make the expensive mistake. They assume new always means better, so they pay to replace locks when rekeying would have done the same job for a fraction of the price. Let’s look at the real numbers.

For a whole Philadelphia row house with a front door deadbolt, front knob, and back door deadbolt — three locks — rekeying runs about $90–$135 total. Replacing all three with equivalent-grade hardware would run $250–$450. That’s a real difference for a result that is functionally identical in terms of security.

When to Re-Key Your Locks

The common thread in all of these situations: the hardware is fine, the problem is who has the keys. Rekeying solves that problem completely and cheaply. There is no security advantage to replacing the hardware when the issue is key control.

This is especially true for new homeowners. It blows my mind how many people in Philadelphia buy a house and never rekey the locks. The previous owners, their kids, their real estate agent, whoever did the inspection, the contractor who replaced the water heater three years ago — any of them might have a copy. A $100–$150 rekey job on the whole house closes all of that off immediately. It’s the first call you should make after the closing.

When to Replace Your Locks

If there was a break-in, always replace — even if the lock looks okay. Forced entry puts stress on the cylinder housing and the bolt mechanism that isn’t always visible. A compromised lock that appears to work fine can fail at the worst possible moment. Beyond the lock itself, check the strike plate and door frame. Most residential break-ins happen through the door frame splitting around the strike plate, not through the lock itself. A deadbolt upgrade paired with a reinforced strike plate (using 3-inch screws into the stud) does far more for your security than just swapping hardware.

Can I Re-Key to a Master Key System?

Yes — and this is one of the best things about rekeying that most homeowners don’t know about.

When we rekey your locks, we can key them all alike, meaning one key opens every lock in your home. Most homes come with separate keys for front deadbolt, front knob, back door, basement, garage — four or five keys for the same house. That’s unnecessary. During a rekey service, we can configure all your locks to the same key so you carry one key, not a fistful.

For landlords with multiple units in Philadelphia, we can also set up a true master key system — each tenant gets a key that opens only their unit, while the landlord’s master key opens all of them. This is far cheaper to set up during rekeying than it would be to replace all the hardware.

If you’re interested in keying alike or a master system, just mention it when you call. We’ll confirm your locks are compatible and factor it into the quote.

How Long Does Re-Keying Take?

For a standard residential lock — Schlage, Kwikset, Weiser, Baldwin, and most common brands — rekeying takes 15–30 minutes per lock. For a typical Philadelphia row house with three or four locks, the whole job is done in under two hours.

A few things can add time: older locks with worn pins that need careful handling, unusual keyways that require less common pin sets, or a lock that turns out to need replacement once we’re looking at it. We’ll always tell you upfront if we find something that changes the scope.

We carry rekeying equipment for all major residential lock brands. If you have a brand or model you’re unsure about, call us at (215) 554-6109 and we’ll confirm before we come out.

Is Re-Keying as Secure as Replacing?

This is the question I get more than any other, and the answer is: yes — if the lock is in good condition.

Security comes from the lock’s grade and construction, not from its age. A Grade 1 deadbolt that’s been rekeyed is still a Grade 1 deadbolt. The cylinder’s anti-pick pins are still there. The hardened steel bolt is still the same length. The case hardening on the cylinder housing hasn’t changed. None of the factors that determine how resistant the lock is to picking, bumping, or brute force have anything to do with whether it’s been rekeyed.

The only scenario where rekeying is less secure than replacing is if the cylinder is physically worn or compromised — excessive play in the plug, a damaged shear line, worn out pin chambers. In those cases we’d tell you and recommend replacement. But for a lock in normal working condition, a properly rekeyed lock is every bit as secure as a new one of the same grade.

If security is your real concern and you have builder-grade hardware — that thin Kwikset that came with the house and wiggles when you grab the knob — the conversation changes. That’s when a hardware upgrade makes sense. We can walk you through residential lock options and what the actual security difference is between grades before you spend any money.