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 Burlingame, CA
Rekeying a lock is the fastest way to take back control of who holds a key to your Burlingame home, and it’s the service we perform most often across 94010 and 94011. In Burlingame, that work pivots on protecting multimillion-dollar Peninsula properties where owners commute to tech jobs, meaning high-end deadbolts, master-key systems for recurring house cleaners and au pairs, and rapid emergency rekeys after lost keys are routine, not exotic. Citadel Locksmith has served Burlingame since 2011, and we work with the brands serious about security. Call (833) 589-8078 for an exact quote before anyone is dispatched.
Why Burlingame Homes Are Different
Burlingame’s core neighborhoods, Broadway, Burlingame Park, Easton, and Mills Estate, are dominated by 1920s to 1950s single-story bungalows and small Craftsmans. A large share of those homes still have their original mortise locksets, knob hardware, and single-cylinder deadbolts. Walk a few blocks toward the Hillsborough-adjacent side or downtown infill, though, and you’ll find large new two-story homes with electronic smart locks and multi-point door systems. A locksmith in Burlingame has to improvise between antique mortise hardware and connected-home electronics in a single day.
The older housing stock creates a specific mechanical reality. Many original doors have undersized 1-3/8″ backset mortise cuts, and decades of settling mean door frames bind deadbolts seasonally. Add Burlingame’s fog-cooled Peninsula microclimate with damp marine air and winter rains, and exterior brass and steel hardware corrodes and swells. Wood-frame doors stick after the first fall rains following a dry summer, which is why we see a spike in door-alignment and strike-plate calls every October. The Broadway Burlingame corridor of 1930s and 40s bungalows still has original skeleton-key and mortise locks that most modern locksmiths can’t service. We can rekey a 1938 mortise set and program a Schlage Encode on the same street the same afternoon.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main Burlingame Services
Most Burlingame homeowners call us for one of two things when security becomes urgent, a car key that’s gone missing or a lock emergency that can’t wait. Here’s what each looks like in Burlingame.
Car Key Replacement in Burlingame
Lost or damaged car keys in Burlingame tend to surface at the worst moments, often before a 101 commute or a school pickup on Burlingame Avenue. We cut and program replacement keys for most makes and models, including transponder and push-start fobs, without sending you to a dealership. The foggy marine air and stop-start traffic on El Camino Real mean drivers here don’t have time to wait. For details on what we cover and what a replacement costs here, see Car Key Replacement in Burlingame.
Emergency Locksmith in Burlingame
A late-night lockout on a Mills Estate side street or a break-in scare in Burlingame Park doesn’t wait for business hours. Our emergency locksmith response covers lockouts, broken keys, and urgent rekeys across Burlingame, 94010 and 94011. Those 1920s mortise locks can fail without warning, and a door that will not latch is a security problem, not an inconvenience. We treat emergency availability as part of the service model, not an afterthought. Read more at Emergency Locksmith in Burlingame.
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 Burlingame
Rekeying is the fastest way in Burlingame to make every existing key in circulation useless without replacing a single lock. Homes here change hands constantly, new owners move into Broadway bungalows, tenants turn over in Easton, and cleaning services and au pairs hold keys in the bigger new-build houses. That means who actually has a working key is often an open question. Rekeying answers it. We rekey original 1930s mortise sets, modern deadbolts, and Schlage and Kwikset cylinders across Burlingame, and we can key multiple doors alike so one key operates everything. This is core work for us, and you can read the broad scope at Rekey Locks.
Lock Rekey
Signs you need it
You’ve moved into a new home, ended a relationship, had a contractor finish work, lost a key, or simply cannot account for every copy that was ever made.
What it costs in Burlingame
Rekeying a standard single-cylinder deadbolt or knob in Burlingame typically runs $40 to $90 per cylinder depending on brand and condition.
How we do it
We remove the cylinder, replace its internal pins so the old keys stop working, cut new keys, and test the lock in place before we leave.
Keyed Alike
Signs you need it
Your front door, back door, garage entry, and side gate each take a different key and your key ring has grown into a jumble.
What it costs in Burlingame
Keying multiple cylinders alike in Burlingame typically runs $50 to $110 per cylinder, with the first cylinder setting the key pattern for the rest.
How we do it
We pin every cylinder to the same key code, confirm each lock throws and releases properly, and hand you one key that operates every door you designate.
What Rekey Locks Costs in Burlingame
| Item | Typical range in Burlingame |
|---|---|
| Rekey standard single-cylinder lock (per cylinder) | $40 – $90 |
| Rekey high-security or mortise cylinder (per cylinder) | $70 – $150 |
| Keyed-alike rekey across multiple doors (per cylinder) | $50 – $110 |
Prices in Burlingame shift with the age of the hardware. A heavily corroded exterior deadbolt on a 1920s bungalow near Broadway often needs more labor than a clean modern cylinder in a new Easton build. What we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice, there is no call-out surcharge added on arrival, and the full price is confirmed before anyone is dispatched.
How fast can you rekey my locks in Burlingame?
Most Burlingame rekey jobs are completed same day or next day, and urgent rekeys after a break-in or lost key are treated as emergency calls. Call (833) 589-8078 for today’s availability.
Should I rekey or replace my locks in Burlingame?
If your existing hardware is functional and you just want to invalidate old keys, rekeying costs less. If the finish is corroded from Burlingame’s damp marine air or the lock binds, we will tell you honestly and quote replacement. Call (833) 589-8078 for a straight answer.
Brands We Service in Burlingame
We stock parts for Schlage, Kwikset, and Medeco cylinders in our service vehicles, and we work on Abloy high-security systems across Burlingame. Most common replacement pins, tailpieces, and strike hardware are on hand, which means one trip for most jobs. See our brands for the full range.
Pricing for Locksmith in Burlingame, CA
| Service | Typical range in Burlingame |
|---|---|
| Rekey standard single-cylinder lock (per cylinder) | $40 – $90 |
| Rekey high-security or mortise cylinder (per cylinder) | $70 – $150 |
| Keyed-alike rekey across multiple doors (per cylinder) | $50 – $110 |
| Car key replacement, basic non-transponder | $120 – $260 |
| Car key replacement, transponder or chip key | $170 – $350 |
| Car key replacement, smart key or push-to-start fob | $250 – $550 |
| Emergency lockout service (labor only) | $100 – $220 |
| Emergency rekey after lockout or lost key | $140 – $280 with trip |
Two things push pricing up in Burlingame, original mortise and skeleton-key hardware that demands careful handwork, and fog-driven corrosion that makes some exterior locks slow to disassemble. On the flip side, our phone quote is a firm price. No bait-and-switch, no “locksmith special” that turns into upsells at the door. The price you hear on the phone is the price you pay.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Burlingame
We cover every corner of Burlingame, including the 94010 and 94011 ZIP codes, with typical response times running 25 to 45 minutes depending on where you are and what the afternoon traffic on El Camino Real looks like.
- Broadway Burlingame
- Burlingame Park
- Easton
- Mills Estate
- Hillsborough-adjacent infill
Service Area – Cities Near Burlingame
While Burlingame is our focus here, we take calls across the surrounding Peninsula. That includes Hillsborough, CA, Millbrae, CA, San Mateo, CA, and Highlands-Baywood Park, CA. One call covers your car, your home, and your emergency in any of them.
Serving Burlingame, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Burlingame 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 Burlingame
Most areas of Burlingame see a technician within 25 to 45 minutes for emergency calls. Non-emergency rekey and car key jobs are scheduled for a window that works for you. Call (833) 589-8078 and we will give you a real arrival estimate, not a vague promise.
For single-family homes in Burlingame, rekeying your own locks requires no permit or HOA sign-off. Some condo buildings in the downtown infill area have management rules about key control, so check your HOA’s policies if you’re in a shared building. We can rekey to your new keys the same day once you have clearance.
Yes, and that’s a genuine differentiator here. Many Broadway-area bungalows still have original 1930s and 40s mortise locks that most modern locksmiths won’t touch. We service and rekey those alongside modern Schlage and Kwikset hardware. Call (833) 589-8078 and describe your lock; we will tell you upfront what’s possible.
For fortress-level security, neighborhood-level service in Burlingame, call (833) 589-8078 for a free estimate on rekeying, car keys, or an emergency that can’t wait.
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 Burlingame Customers Say
"Programmed a transponder key for a 2014 model that the dealership wanted an absurd amount for. Same key, fraction of the price, took him twenty minutes in my driveway."
— Grace Lin"Locked out at eleven at night with a kid asleep in the car. He was there in 25 minutes, had the door open in under two, and did not do the thing where the price goes up once he's standing in front of you."
— Greg Lawson"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."
— Yolanda Mendoza