Residential Locksmith in San Diego

Locked out, moving in, or ready to upgrade the locks on your home? Action Locksmith San Diego comes to you anywhere in San Diego with the tools and hardware to fix it on the first visit.

Call (619) 304-9446 Get a quote Open 24/7 for emergencies Based in Ocean Beach

Quick answer

Action Locksmith San Diego is a mobile residential locksmith based in Ocean Beach that serves every San Diego neighborhood. We handle home lockouts, rekeying, lock replacement, deadbolt and smart lock installation, lock repair and broken key extraction, and we quote the full price before any work starts. Call (619) 304-9446.

Mobile residential locksmith service across the city of San Diego, from our base in Ocean Beach. Typical prices are on our locksmith prices page.

Action Locksmith San Diego technician rekeying a front door deadbolt on a San Diego home — Rekeying a front door deadbolt. Most home rekeys are done in a single visit.

Popular residential locksmith services

Dedicated pages for the jobs we're called for most, with what's included, when you need it, and typical prices.

Lock Rekeying

New keys for the locks you already have. Old keys stop working, every door can share one key.

Typically $120 to $250 Rekeying details

Lock Change & Deadbolt Installation

New deadbolts, knobs, levers and handlesets, installed straight and keyed the way you want.

Typically $150 to $275 Lock Change details

Smart Lock Installation

Keypad and app-controlled locks for homes, ADUs and vacation rentals, installed and programmed.

Typically $100 to $200 Smart Locks details

House Lockout Service

Locked out of your house, condo or apartment? Damage-free entry, day or night, plus a spare key before we leave.

Typically $75 to $175 House Lockout details

Home locksmith services we handle

House lockouts

Locked out of your house, condo or apartment? We open it without damaging the door, then cut you a key on the spot if you need one.

Rekeying

Keep your existing locks, get brand new keys. The old keys stop working the moment we're done. Ideal after a move, a lost key or a roommate change.

Lock replacement & installation

New knobs, levers, deadbolts and handlesets, installed and aligned so they latch cleanly. We carry standard and coastal-rated hardware on the van.

Deadbolt installation

Adding a deadbolt is the single biggest security upgrade for most doors. We bore, fit and install Grade 1 or Grade 2 deadbolts on wood, metal and fiberglass doors.

Smart lock installation

Keypad and app-controlled locks for homeowners and vacation rentals. We install, program and show you how to manage codes.

Lock repair

Sticking keys, loose knobs, misaligned strikes and latches that won't catch. Often a repair costs far less than a new lock.

Key duplication & cutting

Spare house keys cut on the van, including keys for locks with no spare.

Broken key extraction

Key snapped off in the lock? We remove the broken piece, check the cylinder for damage and make a new key.

Sliding & patio door locks

Sliding glass doors are the weak point on most San Diego homes. We repair and upgrade patio door locks and add secondary locks.

Gate, garage & mailbox locks

Side gates, garage service doors, storage rooms and cluster mailboxes. If it has a keyway, we can service it.

Rekey or replace? How to decide

If your locks are in good shape and you just want different keys to work, rekeying is the answer. It's faster and cheaper than replacement and it's what we recommend right after you buy a home or move into a rental, because you have no idea how many copies of the old key are floating around.

Replace the lock when it's physically worn, corroded, outdated or simply not secure enough. Ocean Beach and Point Loma homes near the water are a good example: salt air eats cheap hardware and the cylinder starts binding. Craftsman bungalows in North Park and Mission Hills often have original mortise locks that we can service, but for the front door a modern deadbolt alongside the original hardware gives you real security without ruining the look.

Not sure which you need? Describe the situation on the phone and you'll get a straight answer. We'd rather rekey your locks for less today than sell you hardware you don't need.

Built for San Diego homes

San Diego housing runs the full range, and the locks do too. Beach cottages in Ocean Beach and Mission Beach with decades-old hardware and salty, sticking cylinders. Mid-century ranch homes in Clairemont with original knob locks and sliding patio doors. High-rise condos downtown where the HOA has hardware rules. Newer homes in Carmel Valley and Rancho Bernardo with multipoint doors and smart locks.

Because we work across the city every day, the van is stocked for all of it, and we know what landlords, HOAs and property managers will and won't approve before we touch your door.

What happens when you call

1
Tell us what's going on
Lockout, rekey, new locks, a broken key. We'll ask a few questions and give you a price over the phone.
2
We come to you
You'll get an arrival time based on where you actually are, whether that's three blocks from us in OB or up in Rancho Bernardo, not a made-up number.
3
Fixed on the first visit
The van carries the hardware and key blanks to finish the job right there. You test every lock before we leave.

Residential locksmith service across San Diego

We're based in Ocean Beach and serve homeowners and renters in every San Diego neighborhood, only San Diego, so we're never far away. Popular residential areas we cover:

All San Diego service areas

Other locksmith services

Commercial Locksmith

Storefronts, offices, restaurants and property managers. Master keys, panic bars, rekeys and keypad entry.

Commercial details

Automotive Locksmith

Car lockouts, replacement keys, transponder and key fob programming, ignition repair, wherever your car is parked.

Automotive details

Emergency Locksmith

Locked out of your home, business or car? Fast mobile response anywhere in San Diego, day or night.

Emergency details

Property managers & vacation rentals · Locksmith prices · Get a quote

Residential locksmith questions

How long does it take to rekey a house?

Most homes with two to four doors take under an hour on site. Each lock is taken apart, the pins are changed to match a new key, and the old keys stop working immediately. If some locks are different brands we can usually still key them all alike.

Can you rekey my locks so one key opens every door?

Yes. That's called keying alike, and it's the most requested residential job we do. The locks need to share a compatible keyway; if a door doesn't match we'll tell you and give you options.

Do I need to be home for a residential locksmith visit?

Someone with authority over the property needs to be there, and for a lockout we'll ask for ID or proof you live there. That protects you as much as anyone.

Will you damage my door getting me back in?

Our first approach is always non-destructive entry. Drilling a lock is a last resort we discuss with you first, and if it's necessary we replace the lock on the same visit.

Do you install smart locks on vacation rentals in San Diego?

Yes, and it's a big part of our work in Ocean Beach, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. Keypad locks let you change codes between guests without paying for a rekey every turnover.