Smart locks
House lockouts
Re-keying
Deadbolt upgrades
Schlage
Kwikset
Car keys & fobsNon-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.
Get your free estimateLocksmith in Temple City, CA
Rekeying locks in Temple City is a different job than it is in most of Los Angeles County. The city’s housing stock skews heavily toward 1950s – 1970s single-story tract homes and ranch-style builds, which means the original locksets are often aging Kwikset or Schlage cylinders with worn pins, thin strike plates, and doors that have shifted over decades of San Gabriel Valley heat. Tumbler Lock & Key has served Temple City since 2015, and our rekey work here regularly involves more than swapping pins: it means fixing the jamb, reinforcing the strike, and making an older door hold up to a modern deadbolt. If your key sticks, your lock is loose, or a roommate just left, call (877) 265-3856.
Why Temple City Homes Are Different
The 91780 ZIP code is almost entirely built out, and that shapes every locksmith job we take here. Most of the homes between Live Oak, Encinita, and Las Tunas went up during the post-war tract boom, when builders used lightweight wood-frame stucco construction, aluminum or hollow-core wood doors, and builder-grade cylindrical locksets. Sixty years later, those original locks have been rekeyed or repaired so many times that the internal tumblers are sloppy, and the doors themselves have shifted. A deadbolt that once aligned perfectly now binds against the strike plate every afternoon when the sun heats the south-facing wall.
The climate compounds this. Temple City gets hot, dry summers with weeks of direct UV exposure on west-facing entries. Exterior hardware fades and dries out. Springs lose tension. Cylinders seize. Unlike coastal areas where rust is the main problem, here we see heat cycling and worn mechanical parts. And when the winter rains do come, older wood doors absorb moisture, swell, and suddenly the deadbolt will not throw without forcing the door. We see it every year, usually starting in November.
Because Temple City has its own municipal code enforcement and a high rate of owner-occupied single-family homes, the work here centers on residential rekeying and door-hardware upgrades rather than commercial master-keying or high-rise access control. Homeowners want the lock they already have to work correctly, or they want to reset security after a tenant or family change, and they want it done without replacing a door that was built before power steering was standard.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main Temple City Services
While rekeying is the job we do most often in Temple City, two other services account for a large share of calls, and each has its own dedicated page with full pricing and local details.
Car Key Replacement in Temple City
Temple City residents who lose a car key or need a spare are often facing a transponder key or proximity fob, not a simple brass key. Our mobile rig can cut and program most automotive keys on the spot, including fobs with remote-start functions. This matters in a city where driveways off Las Tunas and Baldwin are often long, and walking to a dealership in Pasadena is not a practical afternoon errand. We bring the programming equipment to your driveway. Learn more at Car Key Replacement in Temple City.
Emergency Locksmith in Temple City
Lockouts and break-in damage do not respect business hours, and neither do we. A Temple City homeowner locked out on a July afternoon or a renter whose landlord changed the locks without notice in December can reach us around the clock. We respond to the 91780 ZIP code directly and carry the tooling to open residential hardware without damaging the door or frame. See Emergency Locksmith in Temple City for response times and what to expect.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Rekey Locks in Temple City
Rekeying in Temple City is the fastest, most cost-effective way to reset security without replacing hardware that may still be functionally sound. Because most homes here date from the 1950s through the 1970s, we are usually working with older cylindrical locksets or worn mortise-style hardware that has not been touched since the previous owner moved in. A rekey lets a new key work in the existing lock by replacing the internal pins, and in Temple City it often pairs with a strike-plate reinforcement because the original jamb is too thin to resist a hard kick. For a full breakdown of Rekey Locks, see our service hub page.
Lock Rekey
Signs you need it
You have moved into a Temple City home and have no idea how many copies of the old key are floating around the neighborhood.
What it costs in Temple City
A standard single-cylinder rekey in Temple City typically runs $60 – $110 per lock, with mobile service calls adding $45 – $90 to the total.
How we do it
We disassemble the cylinder, replace the internal pins to match a new key, and reassemble and lubricate the lock while checking alignment against the strike plate.
Keyed Alike
Signs you need it
You carry three brass keys for three different doors at your Temple City home and want one key that turns every exterior lock.
What it costs in Temple City
Keying multiple locks alike adds $15 – $35 per additional cylinder in Temple City, on top of the base rekey price for the first lock.
How we do it
We repin each cylinder so all locks accept a single new key, then test the key in every lock while the customer watches, front door to back gate.
What Rekey Locks Costs in Temple City
| Item | Typical range in Temple City |
|---|---|
| Single lock rekey (labor + pins) | $60 – $110 per lock |
| Mobile service call | $45 – $90 |
| Additional cylinders keyed alike | $15 – $35 each |
How long does a rekey take in Temple City?
Most single-door rekeys take 20 – 40 minutes once we are on site. Older Temple City locks with stuck pins or corroded cylinders may add 15 – 20 minutes, but we can usually complete the whole job, including strike-plate adjustment, in under an hour. Call (877) 265-3856 for a time estimate.
Is the price you quote on the phone the price I pay?
Yes. We quote the full rekey price over the phone before anyone is dispatched, including the service call, labor, and pins. There is no additional fee added on arrival. If we find a broken strike plate or a seized cylinder, we tell you the add-on price before touching the lock. Call (877) 265-3856.
Brands We Service in Temple City
Tumbler Lock & Key is certified to work on Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, Yale, Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, and Abloy. In Temple City we most often rekey Schlage and Kwikset residential hardware, but we also service Mul-T-Lock and Medeco high-security cylinders for homeowners who upgraded after a break-in. See our brands page for the full range and our stock of common pins and parts.
Pricing for Locksmith in Temple City, CA
| Service | Typical range in Temple City |
|---|---|
| Single lock rekey (labor + pins) | $60 – $110 |
| Mobile service call | $45 – $90 |
| Additional cylinders keyed alike | $15 – $35 each |
| Car key replacement (transponder/fob) | $180 – $400+ |
| Emergency lockout response | $85 – $150+ |
| Deadbolt installation | $85 – $180 |
| High-security cylinder rekey (Mul-T-Lock, Medeco) | $130 – $300 |
| Rekey after break-in or lost key | $120 – $220 |
What pushes a Temple City quote toward the upper end is usually the house itself. A 1962 ranch door with a thin jamb and a shifting frame takes longer to align than a newer door, and a high-security cylinder from Mul-T-Lock or Medeco carries a higher cylinder cost because the pins and key control are proprietary. The full price is quoted on the phone before dispatch, and that is the price on the invoice. No arrival surcharge.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Temple City
Temple City is compact, and we cover every block from the 91780 ZIP code’s north end near the county line down to Lower Azusa Road. The city’s ranch-home neighborhoods between Oak Avenue and Temple City Boulevard share the same hardware issues, and our technicians drive these streets daily.
- Downtown Temple City along Las Tunas Drive
- Neighborhoods off Live Oak Avenue
- Encinita Avenue residential blocks
- Homes near Garibaldi Avenue and Temple City High School
- Areas off Lower Azusa Road at the southern edge of 91780
Typical response across Temple City runs 20 – 40 minutes for emergency calls, depending on where in 91780 you are and current traffic on Las Tunas or Rosemead Boulevard.
Service Area – Cities Near Temple City
Tumbler Lock & Key serves Temple City and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley communities. If you are just over the city line, we cover North El Monte, CA and Rosemead, CA daily. We also take calls in San Gabriel, CA and Arcadia, CA for rekeying, lockouts, and automotive key work. If your street runs along the Temple City border, call and we will tell you which service area you fall in.
Serving Temple City, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Temple City 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 Locksmith in Temple City
No permit is required in Temple City for rekeying an existing lock, swapping a deadbolt, or replacing residential door hardware. Work on commercial properties may be subject to code review, but simple lock changes do not require owner-tenant coordination beyond the property manager’s permission. When in doubt, our tech will confirm before any work begins.
Yes, we regularly rekey apartment and duplex units along Las Tunas Drive and Lower Azusa Road. California law requires landlords to rekey between tenants, and many Temple City property owners call us to handle that turnover work. Written proof of ownership or property management authorization is required before we begin.
Most non-emergency rekey and lock-hardware jobs in 91780 are scheduled the same day or next morning, depending on route. Emergency lockouts and urgent security calls usually receive a 20 – 40 minute response. Call (877) 265-3856 and we will give you a real arrival window, not a two-hour range.
Need a rekey, a new key, or emergency entry in Temple City? Call Tumbler Lock & Key at (877) 265-3856 for a free estimate, and we will quote the full price before anyone heads your way.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees — talk to a local locksmith pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you — the visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Temple City Customers Say
"Told me over the phone that what I needed was a five dollar part from the hardware store, not a locksmith. I called him back a month later for real work because of that."
— Craig Thompson"The old deadbolt was mounted crooked by whoever lived here before and had been sticking for years. He redrilled and reset it properly rather than just replacing the hardware."
— Marisol Castillo"Rekeyed every lock in the house the day after we closed. Six doors, all matched to one key, done in about ninety minutes."
— Yolanda Delgado