Locksmith questions, answered

Fixr puts the average locksmith job at about $150, with most between $100 and $200 (January 2025). Published national ranges put a house lockout at $50 to $175, a car lockout at $80 to $150 and a rekey at $70 to $160 (Fixr). Prices in Raleigh vary by company, time of day and the lock, so ask for the total, trip fee included, before anyone starts.

First make sure it isn't an emergency: a child or a pet locked in a car or home is a 911 call. Then try the free options. Check every door and window, call whoever has a spare, ask your landlord or leasing office, and check whether your car insurance, a roadside club, your credit card or the car's warranty covers lockouts. If none of that works, ask a locksmith for the total on the phone and whether they take a card, and wait until business hours if you safely can. Nights and weekends cost more.

The lowest published figure for a house lockout is about $50 (Fixr's range is $50 to $175), and a car lockout starts around $80. Be wary of anything far lower. A quote of $15 to $35 is almost always a trip fee, not the price of the job: in 2010 WRAL filmed a Raleigh-area homeowner quoted $35 whose bill passed $400. Ask for the total with labor before you agree.

Usually, yes. Fixr lists a trip fee of $25 to $100 and a service call of $100 to $200; Thumbtack lists $30 to $150 just to come out, higher at night and on holidays. A fair quote folds that into one total. The FTC and the BBB both advise asking about service-call and mileage fees before you agree.

A car lockout runs $80 to $150 according to Fixr, and Thumbtack's range for car locksmith jobs is $117 to $259, up to $456 after hours. A replacement key costs more: Kelley Blue Book puts a transponder key at $125 to $250 and a push-to-start smart key at $200 to $400. The exact car sets the price, so read the exact year and model off the registration when you call.

Rekeying is usually cheaper, because you keep the lock and only the pins change. Fixr puts rekeying at $70 to $160 for a job and lock changes at $150 to $550. Replace when the lock is worn or low grade, or when you want a different kind of lock, like a keypad deadbolt.

Stop before any work starts and ask what changed. A real reason is specific, like a high-security lock or a different car than you described. If the answer is vague, pay any trip fee you agreed to and call someone else. Once a lock is drilled, the argument is over.

It depends on where you are, the time of day, traffic on the Beltline and how busy the locksmith is. There is no standard, so ask for an arrival estimate when you call and get the price at the same time. A lockout itself usually takes minutes once they are there; a car key that needs cutting and programming takes longer.

Some Raleigh-area locksmiths take calls at night and on weekends, but not every business does, and after-hours work costs more: Fixr lists an after-hours surcharge of $150 to $250. When you call, ask whether they can come now and what the total will be. If you are safe and the job can wait until morning, waiting can save real money.

Yes. Under North Carolina's Locksmith Licensing Act (G.S. 74F-3), no one may perform or offer to perform locksmith services in the state without a license from the North Carolina Locksmith Licensing Board. A first offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor. You can check a name on the board's Verify License page before anyone drives out.

In North Carolina you can check. Ask for the business's legal name and look it up on the North Carolina Locksmith Licensing Board's Verify License page. Then get the total price on the phone, expect the locksmith to check your ID, and get an itemized invoice with the business name on it. Be wary of a phone answered with a generic 'locksmith services,' an unmarked vehicle, or anyone who wants to drill a standard lock right away.

A careful locksmith confirms you live there or own the car before opening it or cutting a key. Expect to show a photo ID with the address, or a lease or utility bill if the ID address is old. For a car, have the registration or title. Licensed North Carolina locksmiths also carry a photo ID card from the state board, and you can ask to see it.

The FTC and the BBB both flag two phone warning signs: a generic 'locksmith services' greeting and a quote that leaves out labor. At the door, watch for an unmarked vehicle or a price that jumps, and be wary of anyone who goes straight to drilling a standard lock. In North Carolina, also ask for the license number: working without a license is a Class 1 misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class I felony after that (G.S. 74F-3(b)).

Often it is. Someone who is really locked out can call their insurer, a roadside plan or a locksmith, and many roadside plans cover lockouts. If you want to help, offer to make that call for them or wait with them while they do. Don't hand cash, gift cards or a payment app transfer to a stranger's story.

An independent local locksmith business that serves your ZIP code and holds a North Carolina locksmith license. Raleigh Key Pros is a referral service, not a locksmith. We pass your request along so you don't have to sort through listings, and the locksmith sets the price and does the work.

For locksmith work, we don't publish rankings or reviews, and we would be wary of lists that do: some 'best of' pages are paid placements. A better test is the one the state gives you. Ask for the business name and license number, look it up on the North Carolina Locksmith Licensing Board's site, get the total price on the phone, and read the newest low reviews, not just the stars.

For most cars, yes. A locksmith with the right equipment can cut a key from the vehicle's key code and program a transponder or fob at the car. Some newer or luxury models need the dealer. Have the registration ready, and give the exact model when you call. For a house, a locksmith can open the door and rekey the lock to a new key.

Yes. For a house lock, a locksmith can take the cylinder apart or decode it and cut a key to match, though rekeying to a new key is often the better move if the old one is lost. For a car, the key can be decoded from a door lock or cut from the key code tied to the VIN.

If the keys were taken with anything showing your address, like a driver's license, treat the house and the car as exposed. Rekey the house locks, and have a locksmith or the dealer program a new car key and erase the stolen one from the car so it no longer starts it. Report the theft to police. A steering wheel lock is a cheap stopgap until then.

Often, yes. A plain metal key without a transponder chip can open the doors on many cars but won't start the engine. It costs far less than a programmed key and is handy to keep in a wallet for lockouts. Ask the locksmith or dealer, and bring proof of ownership.

Usually the leasing office has to. Building and gate fobs are tied to the property's access system, so the office issues a new one and switches the lost one off, which a copy can't do. Some key shops can copy simple fobs, but many complexes don't allow copies, so ask the office first. If the fob was on a ring with your unit key, ask about rekeying the door too.

Hand it to whoever runs the place you found it, like the park office, the store or the hotel desk, because that is where the owner will ask first. If there is no office nearby, the Raleigh police non-emergency line, 919-829-1911, can tell you where to turn it in. If you post about it online, say where you found it but hold back the key ring and the car details, so the real owner can name them. The owner will be glad: Kelley Blue Book puts a push-to-start smart key at $200 to $400.

Often. Kelley Blue Book says a locksmith might save 10% to 25% compared with a dealer, and the locksmith comes to the car, which avoids a tow if you have no working key. The dealer may be the only option for some newer models.

A locksmith works on locks and safes. Day to day that means lockouts, rekeys after a move, new deadbolts, car keys and fobs, and master key systems for businesses. North Carolina's license law covers all of it, including bypassing a lock for pay.

If you mean the City of Raleigh, the city's general information line is 919-996-3000, and the Raleigh police non-emergency line is 919-829-1911, according to the city's list of frequently called numbers. For an emergency, call 911. For a locksmith, call (984) 342-3191.

Plenty of people seem to think so: 140,402 households in the Wake County ZIP codes we cover moved into their home in 2020 or later, 31% of the total (Census ACS 2020-2024). If you are one of them, rekey the locks. The builder, the last owner or the last tenant may still have keys.