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 Millbrae, CA
Rekey Locks is the service Millbrae homeowners call Citadel Locksmith about most, and for good reason: much of Millbrae’s housing stock dates to the 1940s and 1960s, which means original mortise locksets and worn cylinders are everywhere. Whether you’ve just closed on a postwar rancher near Broadway or finished an ADU build, rekeying is the fastest way to reset who holds a working key. Call us at (833) 589-8078 and we’ll quote your rekey by phone, then handle it same day.
Why Millbrae Homes Are Different
Millbrae is a dense, largely owner-occupied city of roughly 20,000 wedged between SFO and the coastal hills. The housing stock tells the story: blocks of 1940s to 1960s single-story stucco ranchers with original mortise or early cylindrical locksets, mixed with newer two- and three-story infill townhomes and backyard ADUs going up under state housing law. That mix defines how locksmith work goes here.
The older doors are the interesting part. Many still carry their original mortise locks, and after decades of Peninsula fog and wet winters, the wood has swelled, shifted, and settled. A modern deadbolt often will not seat properly until the strike plate is reinforced and the door is realigned. We see this constantly in the Broadway and Millbrae Avenue neighborhood pockets, where the 1950s front doors are nearly identical from house to house. An experienced locksmith who knows Millbrae arrives with the right vintage mortise cylinder and strike in hand instead of making a second trip.
Millbrae’s climate does not freeze locks the way a Sierra town might, but the wet winters create their own pattern: swollen jambs and warped doors cause deadbolts to stop latching cleanly or keys to bind, especially in spring. And because so many Millbrae households are multigenerational, rekeying often means keying several family members’ keys alike while keeping a master key for the parents.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main Millbrae Services
Two services dominate the calls we get from Millbrae: car key replacement and emergency locksmith response. Both are covered below, each with a dedicated Millbrae page.
Car Key Replacement in Millbrae
Millbrae sits minutes from SFO and the BART/Caltrain intermodal station, which means a lot of residents park at the station or run airport errands, and car key trouble tends to hit at the worst moment. We cut and program replacement keys, transponder keys, and fobs for most makes, usually at your driveway or the BART lot. We stock common key blanks locally and handle programming on the spot, often saving you the dealership tow and its markup. Car Key Replacement in Millbrae covers what we need from you and what to expect, including for older and newer vehicles.
Emergency Locksmith in Millbrae
Locked out of your Millbrae home at night, or found your deadbolt jammed after a wet winter day warped the door? Emergency response is built into our service model, not bolted on. We work the tight Millbrae radius quickly, and because we know the local lock inventory, we often arrive with the right cylinder or mortise part the first time. Emergency Locksmith in Millbrae explains what to do while you wait and how we get you back in without damaging the door.
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 Millbrae
Rekey Locks in Millbrae is Citadel’s most requested service, and the pattern is consistent: a family closes on a 1950s rancher whose previous owners handed over an unknown number of keys, or an ADU finishes construction and the owner wants one key for the main house and the unit. Millbrae’s older homes often still run their original mortise locks, and after decades of fog-season moisture, the cylinders wear and the doors settle, so rekeying here usually involves more than swapping pins: it means checking strike alignment, tightening hardware, and making sure the new key actually turns smoothly in a door that has been through fifty Peninsula winters. We also see many returns to our Rekey Locks service after a tenant change, a divorce, or a lost key that fell into the wrong hands. Rekeying is the fastest way to take back control of who holds a key, and in a city this small, that control matters.
Lock Rekey
Signs you need it
You have just closed on a home in Millbrae and it bothers you that you do not know how many copies of the old key are floating around.
What it costs in Millbrae
Lock rekeying in Millbrae typically runs $20 to $35 per cylinder, depending on the lock type and travel distance.
How we do it
We remove the cylinder, replace the internal pins to match your new key, then reinstall and test the lock while checking that the strike plate is still aligned.
Keyed Alike
Signs you need it
Your front door, back door, and garage each need a different key, and you are tired of carrying a ring of them.
What it costs in Millbrae
Keying alike in Millbrae costs the same per-cylinder rekey fee of $20 to $35 per lock, with no surcharge for the convenience.
How we do it
We rekey each lock to the same key, then cut the number of copies you need and test every cylinder on site.
What Rekey Locks Costs in Millbrae
| Item | Typical range in Millbrae |
|---|---|
| Rekey per cylinder | $20 – $35 |
| Service call / trip charge | $50 – $75 |
| Full house rekey (typical 3 – 5 locks) | $110 – $220 |
How long does a rekey take in Millbrae?
Most Millbrae rekey jobs take 20 to 40 minutes per lock, so a typical three-lock house is done in about an hour to ninety minutes, including realigning any swollen door that is keeping the deadbolt from seating.
Do I need to rekey or replace my Millbrae locks?
If the hardware is solid and the key turns, rekeying is almost always enough and cheaper than replacement. If the mortise body is cracked or the deadbolt will not throw cleanly, we will tell you and quote replacement honestly.
Brands We Service in Millbrae
We work with the brands serious about security. In Millbrae, that means a lot of Schlage and Kwikset on the residential side, plus Medeco and Yale when homeowners want a genuine high-security deadbolt on a garage or ADU. We carry common parts and cylinders for these brands locally, so most rekeys and repairs happen in one visit without a parts-run delay. See our brands for what we service.
Pricing for Locksmith in Millbrae, CA
| Service | Typical range in Millbrae |
|---|---|
| Service call / trip charge | $50 – $75 |
| Rekey per cylinder | $20 – $35 |
| Lock change (labor only, standard cylinder) | $65 – $120 per lock |
| Deadbolt installation | $85 – $165 per lock |
| Car key replacement (basic non-transponder) | $75 – $150 |
| Car key replacement (transponder/programmed) | $120 – $275 |
| Emergency lockout | $75 – $180 |
| High-security cylinder (Medeco-style, parts only) | $75 – $200 |
The two things that push a Millbrae quote upward are door problems and lock age. A swollen 1950s door that will not latch a new deadbolt needs realignment or strike reinforcement before the lock will work, and an original mortise lock with worn internals costs more to rebuild than a modern cylindrical lock to rekey. Whatever the job, the price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice, with no arrival surcharge added.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Millbrae
We serve all of Millbrae’s 94030 area, from the tight grid around Broadway and Millbrae Avenue up toward the hills and along Camino Real. Typical response across the city runs inside 30 to 45 minutes for emergency calls, depending on where we are coming from when you call.
- Broadway / Millbrae Avenue corridor
- El Camino Real / downtown Millbrae
- Millbrae Meadows
- The Highlands / Skyline-adjacent streets
- Taylor Middle School area
Service Area – Cities Near Millbrae
Citadel Locksmith serves the whole north Peninsula. In addition to Millbrae, our techs regularly work in San Bruno, CA, Burlingame, CA, Hillsborough, CA, and our home base of South San Francisco, CA. If you are on the edge of Millbrae near the San Bruno or Burlingame line, we still cover you.
Serving Millbrae, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Millbrae 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 Millbrae
For emergencies, most Millbrae calls are answered within 30 to 45 minutes from the time you hang up. Because the city is compact and our techs are based in South San Francisco, we are rarely far from your block. We will give you an honest ETA when you call.
No permit is required in Millbrae for rekeying, changing locks, or installing a deadbolt on an existing door. If you are in an HOA, check your CC&Rs, but single-family homes and most townhomes have no local lock permit requirement.
Yes, we schedule rekeys and lock changes during the day, after hours, and on weekends. If you are coming off a shift near SFO or commuting through the Millbrae station, we can be at your home with the work done before you arrive.
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 Millbrae Customers Say
"Installed a smart lock and actually set up the app and the codes with me instead of leaving me to figure it out from a leaflet."
— David Nguyen"Something came loose about a month after the work. Called them, and they were back out the next day and fixed it at no charge. Didn't argue, didn't try to bill me for the trip."
— Carmen Castillo"Quoted a price on the phone and honored it. After the last locksmith I called, that alone is worth a review."
— Eduardo Vargas