Published 2026-05-30 · Atlanta Pro Locksmith
Lost House Keys: Rekey, Replace, or Both?
Quick answer: If you've lost your house keys in Atlanta, rekeying your existing locks ($20–$40 per cylinder plus a service call) is usually the fastest and most cost-effective solution, allowing you to keep your current hardware while invalidating the lost keys. Full replacement makes sense if your locks are old, damaged, or incompatible with modern security standards, with new deadbolt installs running $100–$250 per lock including hardware.
Rekey vs. Replace: What's the Difference?
Rekeying changes the internal pins and springs inside your existing lock cylinder so the old key no longer works. A locksmith removes the cylinder, swaps the pin configuration, and cuts new keys to match. You keep the same hardware, finish, and door prep. In Atlanta's older neighborhoods like Candler Park or Grant Park, where homeowners often want to preserve original brass or vintage locksets, rekeying is the go-to move.
Replacing means pulling the entire lockset and installing new hardware. You get fresh strikes, bolts, and cylinders. This is necessary if your current locks are worn, corroded from Georgia's humid summers, or simply outdated. Kwikset and Schlage residential-grade deadbolts are common in metro Atlanta homes built from the 1990s onward, and both brands hold up well to rekeying if the hardware is in decent shape.
Most locksmiths in Fulton County charge $20–$40 per cylinder to rekey, plus a service-call fee. A full home rekey covering four to six cylinders usually lands in the $150–$300 range. Replacement runs $100–$250 per lock installed, including the new hardware, so the cost difference is significant if you're securing multiple doors.
When Rekeying Is Enough
If your locks function smoothly and the keys turn without catching, rekeying solves the security problem without the expense of new hardware. This is the standard recommendation after a lost key, especially if you're not certain where the key went or who might have picked it up. Buckhead condos, Decatur bungalows, and Sandy Springs subdivisions all share one thing: a high volume of foot traffic and the possibility that a found key could be traced back to your address through a name tag or nearby vehicle registration.
Rekeying is also the cleanest path if you want all your exterior doors to work on a single key. A locksmith can pin every cylinder to the same key code in one visit, eliminating the keychain clutter. This is especially popular among homeowners in Marietta or East Atlanta who've inherited mismatched locks from previous owners or piecemeal upgrades over the years.
One caveat: if your lockset is a budget big-box model or shows visible wear, rust, or a sticky cylinder, rekeying may only buy you a few more years. Atlanta's summer humidity accelerates corrosion on lower-grade finishes, and a rekey won't fix mechanical slop or a loose tailpiece.
When You Should Replace Instead
Replacement makes sense when your locks are already past their service life. Brass and steel internals can last decades, but zinc-alloy housings and pot-metal strikes common in builder-grade locks from the early 2000s often fail after fifteen years of Georgia weather. If your deadbolt wobbles, the latch drags, or the cylinder spins without engaging, new hardware is the better investment.
Upgrading to a higher-security lock during replacement is another reason to skip the rekey. Standard pin-tumbler deadbolts can be bumped or picked by someone with moderate skill and a set of tools ordered online. High-security cylinders from Medeco or Mul-T-Lock use sidebars, mushroom pins, and restricted keyways that resist these attacks. Commercial properties in Midtown or Virginia-Highland retail corridors often step up to these systems after a break-in or lost master key.
Smart locks are also driving replacements across Atlanta. Homeowners in Brookhaven and Vinings are swapping keyed deadbolts for keypad or Bluetooth models that eliminate the lost-key problem entirely. Installation of a smart lock runs $150–$400 depending on the model and whether you need new strike prep or a thicker door bore. The upfront cost is higher than a rekey, but you gain remote access, temporary codes for contractors or guests, and an audit trail of who unlocks your door.
Doing Both: Rekey Now, Replace Later
If you're unsure whether your locks need replacement, a mobile locksmith can assess them during a rekey visit. Many Atlanta-area techs carry a range of Schlage, Kwikset, and Yale residential hardware on their trucks, so you can make the call on-site. If your front deadbolt is solid but the back-door knob is loose and corroded, you can rekey the good lock and replace the weak one in the same service call.
This hybrid approach is common in older intown homes where exterior doors vary in age and quality. A craftsman bungalow in Inman Park might have a century-old mortise lock on the front that's worth preserving and rekeying, while the side-entry door has a flimsy 1980s lever set that should be swapped for a Grade 1 deadbolt. Mixing strategies keeps costs reasonable without leaving gaps in your security perimeter.
Frequently asked
How long does it take a locksmith to rekey my house locks in Atlanta?
Rekeying a standard single-family home with four to six exterior locks usually takes 30–60 minutes once the locksmith arrives. The process involves removing each cylinder, changing the pin stack, reassembling the lock, and cutting new keys. If you want all locks keyed alike or need to rekey interior office or bedroom doors, add another 10–15 minutes per additional cylinder.
Can I rekey my own locks if I lost my house keys?
You can buy rekeying kits for Kwikset and Schlage locks at hardware stores, but you'll need the existing working key to remove the cylinder in most designs. Since you've lost the key, you'd have to pick or drill the lock to access the pins, which often damages the cylinder beyond reuse. A locksmith has the tools to extract and repin cylinders non-destructively, so self-service rarely saves money in a lost-key scenario.
Will rekeying stop someone who found my lost key from getting in?
Yes. Once the cylinder is repinned, the old key becomes useless. The pin heights no longer align with the old key's cuts, so the plug won't turn. If you're concerned that someone knows your address and has the key, rekeying immediately is the correct move. Waiting even a day or two increases the risk, especially if the key was attached to anything identifying your home.
Do all my locks need to be the same brand to rekey them to one key?
Not necessarily, but it's simpler if they are. Kwikset and Schlage use different keyway profiles, so a locksmith can't rekey a Kwikset and a Schlage to the same physical key without adapter hardware or cylinder swaps. If you have mixed brands, the locksmith can replace cylinders in some locks to match the others, or you can keep separate keys for different brands. Most Atlanta homes built by the same contractor use a single brand throughout, making same-key rekeying straightforward.
Should I rekey or replace if I just bought a house in Atlanta?
Rekey at minimum. You have no way to know how many copies of the existing keys are in circulation, whether from previous owners, contractors, real-estate agents, or cleaning services. If the locks are newer and function properly, rekeying is the cost-effective choice. If the home is older or the locks feel loose or corroded, use the closing as an opportunity to upgrade to higher-security or smart locks and start fresh.