Home Lock Rekeying
When you hand over your house keys at closing on a home near Apex's booming Haddon Hall subdivision, or realize your spare set went missing after a weekend at Jordan Lake, the smartest first call you can make is for professional home lock rekeying. Rekeying reconfigures the internal pin tumblers of your existing locks so that every old key becomes permanently useless — no cutting new doors, no replacing expensive hardware, and no wondering who still has a copy.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week · Licensed, bonded & insured
Wake County Locksmith is a fully mobile, insured locksmith service based in Apex, NC, and our trained technicians come directly to your driveway, front porch, or apartment hallway — 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you just took ownership of a resale home off Laura Duncan Road or you lost a key and can't sleep easy, we'll rekey every exterior lock on your property in a single visit and hand you fresh, matched keys on the spot.
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 Wake County and surrounding communities in well under an hour.
Insured & background-checked
Vetted 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.
Why Home Lock Rekeying Beats a Full Lock Change After a Move or Lost Key
A full home lock change means removing the entire lockset — knob, deadbolt, strike plate hardware and all — and installing brand-new units. That makes sense when a mortise lock or door knob lock is mechanically worn, visibly damaged, or you want to upgrade to a higher-security grade. But when the hardware is solid and the only concern is key control, home lock rekeying is the targeted solution. Our technicians disassemble the cylinder, swap out the driver and key pins to a new bitting pattern, and reassemble — the lock itself stays, but it now operates on a completely different key cut that nobody from your past has.
This approach also lets us key all of your exterior locks alike in a single appointment, meaning one key works your front deadbolt, back door knob lock, side-entry garage door, and any mortise lock on a French or craftsman-style door. Apex homeowners who've just moved into neighborhoods like Haddon Hall or Sweetwater tell us this convenience alone is worth the call. If you'd rather not wait, reach out now — (919) 341-2147 answers around the clock.
What Our Home Lock Rekeying Service Actually Includes — 25+ Specific Tasks
A single rekeying appointment with Wake County Locksmith can cover far more than you might expect. Here is a specific breakdown of what our skilled technicians routinely handle during a residential visit: 1. Rekey single-cylinder deadbolt locks 2. Rekey double-cylinder deadbolt locks 3. Rekey door knob lock cylinders (interior and exterior) 4. Rekey mortise lock cylinders (including older craftsman-era and mid-century hardware) 5. Rekey lever-handle entry locks 6. Rekey handleset locks with separate deadbolt cylinders 7. Rekey sliding patio door pin-cylinder locks 8. Rekey padlocks securing outbuildings or gates 9. Key all exterior locks alike (one key, every door) 10. Cut new house keys on-site from a mobile key machine 11. Duplicate the newly cut key for additional household members 12. Inspect and lubricate lock mechanisms during service 13. Adjust misaligned strike plates causing hard-to-turn cylinders 14. Assess door-frame integrity around the lock zone 15. Replace worn or broken key pins discovered during disassembly 16. Install new Kwikset or Schlage cylinders where rekeying is not feasible 17. Upgrade to a Schlage B-series deadbolt during the same visit if requested 18. Install Kwikset SmartKey cylinders for future self-rekeying capability 19. Remove and replace a stripped or seized mortise lock cartridge 20. Repair a frozen or binding door knob lock mechanism 21. Replace damaged lock trim or rose plates 22. Install a new deadbolt on a door that currently has only a knob lock 23. Handle home lockout service calls when a rekey visit is combined with an entry 24. Advise on secondary security measures (door reinforcement, strike plate upgrades) 25. Document the new key cuts for your records upon request 26. Coordinate whole-property rekeying for landlords turning over rental units in Apex and across Wake County
That breadth matters because security gaps often hide in the details — a forgotten side-door knob lock or an original mortise lock on an older home near downtown Apex can undermine even the best deadbolt on the front door. We assess the full perimeter, not just the lock you called about.
Emergency Locksmith Response and Home Lockout Service: When It Can't Wait
Sometimes a rekeying need arrives alongside an urgent situation — you've discovered the key is gone and you're standing outside your own front door after midnight on a Tuesday. That's where our emergency locksmith capability matters. Wake County Locksmith provides 24 hour lock rekeying and home lockout service throughout Apex and the broader Wake County area. A qualified technician dispatches in a fully stocked service vehicle, picks or bypasses the lock using damage-free techniques wherever the lock design allows, gets you back inside, and then — right then, before packing up — rekeys the cylinder so the lost key is void. You don't schedule a second appointment; the security fix happens in the same visit.
Residents of Apex sometimes ask whether a home lockout service is something their roadside assistance plan covers. We can only speak to our own process: we provide an exact, confirmed price before any work begins, with no surprise fees tacked on at the end. Factors that influence your quote include the type and brand of lock (a standard Kwikset knob differs from a high-security mortise lock), the time of day, travel distance within Wake County, and whether any replacement parts are needed. Call (919) 341-2147 — we answer 24/7, and we'll walk you through the estimate before a technician ever rolls the truck.
Understanding Locksmith Pricing in NC — What Shapes Your Home Lock Rekeying Quote
People in Apex — sometimes called 'Apexians' or affectionately 'Apex Peakians' by locals — frequently search questions like 'How much is a locksmith in NC?' or 'What is a locksmith call out fee?' before picking up the phone. These are fair questions, and we believe in transparent answers. There is no single flat rate because locksmith pricing reflects real variables: the complexity of the lock (a basic door knob lock costs less to service than a multi-point mortise lock), whether it's a standard daytime call or a 2 a.m. emergency locksmith response, the number of cylinders being rekeyed, and travel distance across Wake County. A service call to a home just off Highway 55 in Apex is priced differently than one at the far edge of the county.
Questions like 'How much should a locksmith cost per hour?' and 'How much does an emergency locksmith cost near me?' come up because the industry lacks a universal standard — which is exactly why we confirm your exact price up front, before any work starts, with no obligation to proceed. You'll also never pay for a part we didn't install or a service we didn't perform. Our goal is that when Apex residents share their experience — on Google, on Yelp, in a neighborhood Facebook group, or simply word-of-mouth on a street like Humie Olive Road — the thing they mention is straightforward pricing and work that was done right the first time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between rekeying and a full home lock change?
Rekeying changes the internal pin configuration of your existing cylinder so old keys no longer work — the lock hardware itself stays in place. A full home lock change removes and replaces the entire lockset. Rekeying is the right call when your hardware is in good working order and you simply need key control after a move or a lost key. A lock change makes more sense when a mortise lock or door knob lock is worn, damaged, or you want to upgrade to a higher-security grade. Our technicians will assess your hardware and recommend the most appropriate path during the visit.
How long does it take to rekey all the exterior locks on a typical Apex home?
For a standard single-family home with two to four exterior cylinders — a front deadbolt, a back door knob lock, and perhaps a garage entry or mortise lock — most appointments run between 45 minutes and 90 minutes from start to finish. That includes rekeying every cylinder, cutting new keys on-site, and keying all locks alike so one key works every door. Older or higher-security lock types, like a multi-point mortise lock, can add time, but our technician will give you a realistic time estimate before starting.
Is it cheaper to go to a locksmith or a dealer for car key issues?
For automotive key work, a mobile locksmith like Wake County Locksmith is almost always the more practical option because we come to you — there's no tow bill, no dealer service-lane wait, and we can often program replacement keys or remotes on-site in a parking lot or driveway. The final price depends on your vehicle's make, model, key type, and whether the car's immobilizer system requires specialized programming. We confirm an exact price before any work begins so you can make an informed decision. For home lock rekeying, a dealership is not a relevant alternative — that's purely a locksmith service.
Do you handle home lockout service calls even when I just need to get back inside — not rekey?
Absolutely. Our emergency locksmith team responds to home lockout calls 24 hours a day across Apex and Wake County. We use damage-free entry techniques wherever the lock design allows, so you're not stuck with a drilled-out cylinder afterward. That said, if you're locked out because of a lost or stolen key, we strongly encourage combining the entry call with an immediate home lock rekeying appointment so the missing key is permanently voided before you go to bed.
What factors determine the locksmith call-out fee and total price for a rekeying visit?
Several variables shape the final quote: the number and type of cylinders being rekeyed (a standard Kwikset knob differs significantly from a high-security mortise lock), the time of day (overnight or holiday emergency locksmith calls reflect higher operational costs), travel distance within Wake County, and whether any replacement parts — springs, pins, new cylinders — are needed. We walk you through every factor and confirm an exact, up-front price before a single screw is turned. There are no charges added after the fact.
Can you rekey a mortise lock, or do those always need to be fully replaced?
Mortise locks can absolutely be rekeyed in most cases. The cylinder — the oval or figure-8 shaped plug that sits inside the mortise lock body — is removed, rekeyed to a new key cut, and reinstalled without disturbing the lock body itself. Where the mortise lock cartridge is seized, cracked, or mechanically failed, we can replace just the cylinder or the full cartridge as needed. Either way, our experienced technicians handle mortise lock work routinely, including on the older craftsman and mid-century homes you'll find near downtown Apex.