Residential Locksmith in Jacksonville & St. Johns County

Home lockouts start at $85. Rekeying is $85 for the first lock and $45 for each additional, with two keys. Fresh lock installation starts at $140, key copies at $5, and mailbox locks at $95. The service call is $75 and it’s waived when you go ahead with the work. The full list lives on our rates page, and you get your exact number on the phone.

Rekey, in almost every case. The hardware on a house you just bought is usually fine; the problem is the unknown number of keys floating around from the builder, the agents, the cleaners, and the previous owner. Rekeying kills all of them for far less than new locks. Replace only if the hardware itself is worn, corroded, or weaker than the door deserves.

Usually yes, and it’s worth asking for. Most residential hardware from the common brands can be brought onto one key. Mixed brands sometimes need one cylinder swapped, and we’ll price that before doing it.

Yes. This is a 24-hour emergency locksmith service — lockouts, break-ins, and failed locks run day and night. Scheduled work like rekeys and installations is booked at your convenience, evenings and weekends included.

Almost never. Most residential locks open with picks or a bypass and keep working normally afterward. Drilling is reserved for locks that are already broken or built to resist everything else, and you hear about it — with the replacement price — before it happens.

A reinforced strike plate with three-inch screws into the stud, on a solid deadbolt. It’s inexpensive and it addresses how forced entries actually happen — the frame splitting, not the lock failing.

Schlage, Kwikset, Baldwin, Assa Abloy, and Ring among others. Which one is right depends on the door and how exposed it is. A covered entry inland and a west-facing door near the beach are genuinely different problems.

Regularly. Turnover rekeys, keyed-alike sets across a portfolio, mailbox locks, and batch key cutting. For anything with several doors and several people, ask about a master key system.

If your problem is controlling who has access — cleaners, dog walkers, contractors, family — then yes, that’s exactly what it solves. If your problem is a door that could be forced, a smart lock doesn’t help and reinforcing the strike does. We’ll tell you which one you actually have.

You get an honest arrival window on the phone, based on where a van actually is. Across northern St. Johns and south Jacksonville that’s usually quick; farther out you’ll get a real number rather than a sales one.

Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, and Baker counties: Jacksonville and its neighborhoods, Julington Creek, Fruit Cove, Nocatee, Ponte Vedra, the CR 210 corridor, St. Johns, St. Augustine, Yulee, Callahan, Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, and Macclenny. If you’re near the edge of that map, call — we’ll give you a straight yes or no.

As fast as the nearest van allows, and you’ll get the honest ETA on the phone. Inside northern St. Johns and south Jacksonville, that’s usually quick; we don’t quote fantasy minutes just to win the call.

You describe the job, we quote it, and that quote is the price you pay. If the job turns out bigger than described, work pauses and you approve the new number first. No trip-fee surprises, no upsell at the door.

Yes — The Keys Maker LLC is a licensed and insured Florida business (St. Johns County Business License No. B.L1101834), and every technician is background-checked. Worth knowing: Florida has no statewide locksmith trade license, which is exactly why you should ask any locksmith what stands behind the word. Ours is above — verify it with St. Johns County yourself.

Yes, for most makes and model years — cut and programmed on site from the vehicle itself, including transponder and proximity keys. No tow to a dealer required.

Rekeying keeps good hardware and changes which key works it — the right move after a move-in or lost keys. Replacement is for worn, damaged, or low-grade locks. We’ll tell you which one your door actually needs, and rekeying is usually the cheaper answer.

Yes — supply, install, and configure, or install one you already bought. We’ll also tell you honestly when a smart lock is the wrong fit for a door or a household.

Check the other doors, then call (904) 827-7496. Don’t break a window — the glass usually costs more than the locksmith. You’ll get a price and an ETA on the same call, at 2 PM or 2 AM.

Warning signs: a $19 or $29 phone quote that triples on arrival, an unmarked car, no company name on the phone, cash-only pressure, and drilling as the first suggestion. A real local shop gives a firm quote, shows up marked, and can prove who they are.

After the work is done, at the quoted price. Card or cash both work. You’ll never be asked to pay before you’re back inside.

No — emergencies are the loud half. The quiet half is scheduled work: rekeys, lock upgrades, smart locks, master key systems, and new-home lock changes, booked at your convenience, evenings and weekends included.

Yes. One key for the owner, limited keys for staff, and a plan for what gets rekeyed when someone leaves. We build it around how your business actually runs.

Usually not. The fragment comes out with extraction tools, the lock gets checked, and in most cases you just need a fresh key. Don’t dig at it with tweezers — that’s how a cheap fix becomes a replacement.

Rarely. Non-destructive entry is always the first approach; drilling is the last resort for certain high-security cylinders, and you’ll approve it — and the replacement cost — before it happens.

He’ll confirm he’s from The Keys Maker and the price you were quoted. Ask for the company name before you open up — any honest tech expects the question. If anything feels off, call us back on (904) 827-7496 and we’ll confirm who’s standing there.

Salt air corrodes pins, springs, and finishes from the inside out — beach-side hardware can age a decade in a few summers. A yearly clean and graphite lubrication helps; when a coastal lock starts grinding, replace it before it seizes on a Sunday night.