How much does a locksmith cost in Virginia?

What a locksmith costs

There is no single Virginia price for a locksmith, and no state fee schedule sets one. Virginia licenses locksmiths but does not set their rates, so this page explains what moves the price and how to pin it down before anyone starts work. The most useful thing you can do is get the total in writing first.

What the price depends on

Start with the job, because "locksmith" covers a lot. The law's definition of locksmith services includes selling, servicing, rebuilding, repairing, rekeying, repinning, among much else.^[1] It also lists adjusting or installing locks or deadbolts, mechanical or electronic locking devices, egress control devices, safes, and vaults,^[1] and opening, defeating or bypassing locks or latching mechanisms in a manner other than intended by the manufacturer.^[1] In ordinary terms those are lockouts, rekeys, new locks, key programming and safe work, and they are priced very differently.

The factors that most often change a quote:

• The type of job. A simple lockout is usually quoted differently from a rekey, and both differ from replacing a deadbolt or fitting an electronic lock.
• How many locks. Rekeying several cylinders to one key has a per-cylinder cost, and a visit to a house with many doors adds up. Ask whether there is a setup charge on top.
• The lock itself. Standard residential cylinders are cheaper to work on than high-security, electronic or older mortise locks, and a replacement lock is a parts cost on top of labor.
• When and where. Nights, weekends and a long drive often add a trip or after-hours charge. Ask for it by name.
• Whether you need a locksmith at all. Kwikset describes its SmartKey lock as "allowing our customers to rekey their locks themselves in seconds without calling a locksmith,"^[3] though it says SmartKey Security® requires the current working key to perform the rekeying process.^[3] How to rekey a door lock explains when that route works.

Getting a price you can hold

On the phone, ask for the total, not the "starting at" figure: the trip charge, the labor, any parts, and anything extra for the time of day. Say the make of the lock and what happened. A business that cannot give a range for a standard lockout before it drives out is a reason to call another.

For anything beyond a lockout, get the quote in writing. Virginia's Board for Contractors, in its guide for homeowners hiring contractors, says it is advisable to get at least three written bids or estimates using identical plans and specifications so you can compare prices and contractors.^[4] That advice is written for contractors, but the principle fits a rekey of five doors or a new electronic lock: give each business the same description and compare line by line.

Check the business is licensed first. The Code of Virginia says: "No person shall engage in the private security services business or solicit private security business in the Commonwealth without having obtained a license from the Department."^[2] Locksmiths fall within that. Whether locksmiths need a license in Virginia explains what to ask for.

Stop and call a pro if

• The technician arrives and the price is different. Do not let anyone start. Ask for the new total in writing, or send them away.
• They want to drill the lock straight away. Many standard lockouts can be opened without damaging the lock, and drilling means a replacement cylinder. Ask why.
• You cannot get a license number or a company name. Look for another business.
• The vehicle or the business name does not match the one you called. Ask who they are before the door is touched.
• A lock you are paying to have rekeyed still works with the old key. Test it before they leave.

Next steps

For a rekey you can do yourself, see how to rekey a door lock. Browse handyman services or more other-repair answers.

When you have a clear description, describe the job once and local businesses can quote it.