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 Residential Locksmith Across Novato
A residential locksmith call in Novato usually means one of two things: a lock that won’t open, or a lock you no longer trust. Our crew responds to Novato homes within 30 to 45 minutes for lockouts, and we quote a firm written price before anyone rolls a truck. If you’re locked out right now, call (910) 714-4287 and a live person answers. No call center, no recorded menu, no estimate that changes when the tech arrives.
We work across the whole city, from the 1950s ranch homes of Lynwood to the canal-front properties of Bel Marin Keys and the historic Hamilton Landing district. Novato is not one kind of housing stock, and the lock problems change block by block. That local knowledge is the difference between a job done right the first time and a tech standing at your door trying to figure out why a standard deadbolt won’t fit a 1935 mortise pocket.
Why Dunmore Locksmith Is Novato’s Preferred Residential Locksmith Company
Perry Osgood leads our Novato residential work, and the standard he set is simple: the person at your door is the person we told you to expect. Every Dunmore technician is background-checked and identity-verified under The Threshold Standard, which means you get a name and a photo sent to your phone before the visit. The tech arrives in a clean marked uniform, shows a photo ID badge at the door, and only then touches your lock. If someone arrives who you were not told to expect, that visit is covered at no charge. In a city where many people are home alone during the day, that procedure matters more than a fast ETA.
Novato homeowners call us because the written price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice. That’s not a slogan; it’s how we’ve run every job since we started under the Threshold Group umbrella back in 2007. We also back every repair with the 365-Day Done Right Promise: a written guarantee included on each invoice. If the repair fails within a year, we return and make it right at no charge. No fine print, no pro-rated coverage.
Dunmore comes from old words for a great fort, a stronghold built to keep what is inside safe. That’s the job. We take it literally.
Our Residential Locksmith team handles everything from rekeying a single knob to full door reinforcement on Novato ranch homes, but the two calls we get most often here are lost key replacement and house key work.
Lost Key Replacement in Novato
Lost key replacement in Novato typically runs $95 to $185 for a standard residential lock, and the job usually takes under an hour once we’re on site. The work involves either cutting a new key from the existing lock cylinder or, if you have no key at all and want to eliminate the risk that someone found the old one, rekeying the cylinder so the lost key no longer turns it. For a Novato homeowner, the question is usually whether to cut a duplicate or rekey. If the key was lost anywhere near your home, or on a keyring with something that has your address on it, rekeying is the safer call.
Rekeying vs. replacement on older Novato hardware
On a 1960s ranch in Lynwood or Black Point, the original knobset is often a builder-grade unit with a worn cylinder. Rekeying that lock costs $75 to $150 per cylinder, and it’s worth doing right because a 60-year-old cylinder with a fresh pin set will outlast a cheap replacement from a big-box store. If the hardware itself is failing, though, we’ll say so and give you a written quote for a Schlage or Kwikset replacement before we touch anything.
When you need new keys cut today
Lost keys on a weekday morning before work, or after picking the kids up from school in Novato, can’t wait for a parts order. We stock common key blanks and cylinder pins in our service vehicles, so most lost key jobs in Novato are done same-day. The full price, including the service call, is on the invoice before we start, and there’s no surcharge when the tech arrives.
House Key Locksmith in Novato
A house key locksmith call in Novato usually means one of three things: you need duplicates cut, you want all your doors on one key, or you just moved in and want every old key rendered useless. House key work here runs $65 to $120 for a basic rekey of one lock, and $20 to $45 per additional cylinder if you’re doing several. We handle the quirks of Novato floor plans, like the side garage door on a Black Point rancher that’s been on a different key since 1972, or the back slider that never locked properly anyway.
One key for every door on the property
If you have a house, a detached workshop, a gate, and an outbuilding, you can absolutely get all of them on the same key. On larger Novato acreage properties, we key alike Schlage and Kwikset cylinders across every door in one visit, so you’re not juggling four keys to take the trash out. The per-lock cost stays the same whether you do two doors or eight.
Replacing house keys after a move or tenant change
Closed on a house off Ignacio Boulevard? New home means new keys. We rekey every exterior lock, confirm the deadbolts throw properly, and hand you identical copies on the spot. If you want restricted keyways that can’t be duplicated at a hardware store, we carry Medeco and Abloy cylinders and can have your house on a restricted system the same week.
Trusted Brands We Service in Novato
We service and install Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Abloy hardware, and because Novato homes span so many eras, we keep a deeper parts inventory in the truck than a standard locksmith might. That means a Hamilton Landing homeowner with a 1930s mortise cylinder isn’t waiting a week for a rebuilt unit, and a Bel Marin Keys homeowner with a corroded Schlage B60N gets a marine-grade replacement rather than another standard unit that will seize by winter. We are factory-authorized on all four lines, so the work carries the manufacturer’s spec and our own 365-day written guarantee.
Common Residential Locksmith Problems We See in Novato Homes
- Salt-corrosion in Bel Marin Keys: canal-side locks face airborne salt from San Pablo Bay, so lock cylinders and strike plates oxidize far faster than they do in western Novato. We replace corroded hardware with ANSI Grade 1 marine-grade sets and treat the cylinder with a protective lubricant designed for coastal conditions.
- Historic mortise locks at Hamilton Landing: original 1930s and 1940s military duplex doors use non-standard backset depths, so a modern Schlage B60N often won’t fit without violating the historic review board’s profile requirements. Rebuilding the existing mortise body or installing a period-compatible slim-profile unit is the right repair here.
- Swelling door frames in winter: Novato’s inland valley position sees sharper overnight temperature drops than coastal Marin towns like Mill Valley, and wood door frames swell and bind in late fall and winter mornings. A deadbolt that throws perfectly in July can jam in December, which is when we get the most emergency lockout calls.
- Builder-grade 1960s knobsets across Lynwood and Black Point: these locks have been in place for 50 to 60 years, and the cylinders are often so worn that a key jiggles, catches, or snaps off in the door. We rebuild or replace them and rekey the whole house to one key in the same visit.
Pricing for Residential Locksmith in Novato, CA
In Novato, you should expect rekeying a standard knob lock to run $75 to $150 per cylinder, lost key replacement to run $95 to $185 per lock, and deadbolt installation to run $140 to $280 depending on the bolt grade and any door prep needed. Door reinforcement work, like adding a heavy-duty strike plate and longer screws to a 1950s ranch door frame, runs $85 to $160. Historic Hamilton Landing mortise rebuilds are quoted on inspection because the cylinder condition varies, but you get a written figure before we start. We never quote “from $19” teaser prices, and we don’t add a call-out surcharge when the tech arrives. Call (910) 714-4287, tell us the lock, and we’ll give you the exact price on the phone.
We Also Serve Cities Near Novato
Our Residential Locksmith in Novato customers sometimes have rental properties or family in neighboring cities. We serve Fairfax, San Anselmo, Petaluma, and San Rafael with the same written-price commitment and 365-day guarantee, so if you need a lock changed on a San Rafael back house or a Petaluma acreage gate, one call covers it.
Serving Novato, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Novato 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 About Residential Locksmith in Novato
The original 1930s and 1940s military duplex doors at Hamilton Landing use non-standard backset depths, so a Schlage B60N’s bolt assembly often doesn’t line up, and the historic review board requires hardware that matches the original profile. We rebuild the existing mortise cylinder or install a period-compatible slim-profile deadbolt that passes review and fits the original pocket. Call (910) 714-4287 and we’ll tell you which route your door needs.
Most Bel Marin Keys homes need lock service every 18 to 24 months, compared to every 5 to 7 years for a western Novato home. The lagoon air pushes salt into lock cylinders and strike plates, and the hardware seizes if it isn’t addressed. We replace failing components with marine-grade ANSI Grade 1 sets and lubricate the cylinder with a protective coating, which stretches the interval considerably. Call (910) 714-4287 for a free estimate.
Yes. On rural Novato properties with a house, detached workshop, gate, and outbuilding, we key all of them alike in a single visit. You get one key that operates every door, and we rekey each cylinder on site rather than swapping in mismatched hardware. This is standard work for us, not a special request. Call (910) 714-4287 and tell us how many doors you have, and we’ll give you a firm per-lock price.
No. In most Novato lockouts we open the door non-destructively using picks and specialized bypass tools. Drilling is only a last resort, and it’s one we avoid on Hamilton Landing original mortise locks because the lock bodies can’t be easily replaced. If a drill is ever needed, we tell you first and give you a written price before we do it. Call (910) 714-4287 and describe where you are in Novato, and we’ll get a tech to you in about 30 to 45 minutes.
Rekeying changes the internal pins inside the existing lock so old keys stop working; the lock body and hardware stay in place. Replacing means installing new lock hardware entirely. In an older Novato ranch home, where the original 1960s door and frame are often in good shape, rekeying is usually the right and lower-cost option, running $75 to $150 per cylinder. We’ll tell you honestly which one your lock needs when we see it. Call (910) 714-4287 for a free estimate.
We built this page around one idea: knowing exactly who is coming to your door before you open it. No other locksmith in Novato gives you the technician’s name and photo before the visit under a written standard like The Threshold Standard, and no one else backs every repair with a 365-day written guarantee. If you need lost key replacement, house key work, or a full rekey across a Hamilton Landing duplex or a rural Novato acreage, call (910) 714-4287. A live person answers, any hour of any day.
Written by Perry Osgood, Owner at Dunmore Locksmith, serving Novato and Marin County through the Threshold Group family of independent local locksmith businesses.