Rekeying locks in Lake City and Columbia County

When Columbia County residents rekey

Rekeying swaps the pins inside a lock so it needs a new key. The lock stays on the door; every old key stops turning it. It's the simplest way to take back control of a house after keys have gone astray — and in a county where many people commute, travel and rent, keys go astray often.

In Lake City and the surrounding communities, most rekeying calls come after a move, after a tenant leaves, or after a car break-in. Each of those is a moment when you genuinely can't say who else might be holding a working key to your door.

After a car break-in at a trailhead or lot

Break-ins at parking areas are a hazard anywhere people leave cars for hours. If your house keys were in the car and your registration or mail with your address was too, a thief has both. Rekey that day. The same goes for a purse or backpack stolen at a store lot along U.S. 90. Remember the garage door opener, too: if the remote was clipped to the visor, unplug or reprogram the opener until the locks are done, because a remote plus an address is as good as a key.

Landlords in Lake City

Rentals around Lake City turn over with job changes, family moves and students coming and going from Florida Gateway College. Rekeying between tenants costs far less than new locks and lets you tell every new tenant that no former resident can walk in. If you own several units, a locksmith can set them up so each has its own key and you carry one that opens all of them.

New owners in Five Points, Watertown and beyond

Buying a house means inheriting every key the previous owners handed out — to a dog sitter, a cleaner, a contractor, a relative. Rekeying on moving day is inexpensive and settles the question.

Making several doors take one key

If the front door, back door and garage entry each need a different key, a locksmith can often rekey them to match, provided the locks share a compatible keyway. That usually means locks of the same brand.

Need something else in Columbia County?

See everything on the Columbia County locksmith page, or browse Florida locksmiths.

Want the background first? Read our guide: Lock Rekeying.