Commercial locksmith · Tampa Bay
Commercial Rekeying in Tampa, FL
Someone left and still has a key. Rekeying costs a fraction of new hardware and takes the old keys out of circulation the same day.For offices, retail, restaurants and multi-tenant buildings across Tampa Bay.Licensed HCLOC18009 · ALOA member · BBB A+THE DECISION
Commercial rekeying and replacing are not the same job
Commercial rekeying changes the pins inside the cylinder you already own, so the old keys stop working and new ones start. The lock stays on the door. Replacing means new hardware entirely. For most businesses the first one is the answer, and it’s a lot cheaper because you’re paying for labor rather than a box of new locks.
Replacement earns its keep when the hardware is worn out, when the grade is wrong for the traffic the door gets, or when you’re moving to a restricted keyway so keys can’t be copied at a hardware store. Those are real reasons. “It’s old” on its own usually isn’t.
The question nobody asks until afterwards: how many keys?
Keys go out one at a time, to whoever needed one that week, and they rarely all come back. By the time you call us nobody can say how many are out there, or who still has one.
The moment we’re already rekeying is the least expensive time to fix that. We can key doors alike so one key opens the front, back and stockroom instead of three. We can split them deliberately so the cleaner opens the front but not the office. And we can write down who has what, which is the part that actually prevents the next call.
If you’re heading toward more than a handful of doors and more than a handful of people, say so — that’s the point where a master key system is worth planning instead of rekeying piecemeal twice a year.
WHAT TO EXPECT
How a rekey visit runs
Count your doors before you call. It’s the number that drives everything else.- Count the doorsAnd say which ones should open on the same key.
- We check the cylindersMost rekey fine; worn ones we’ll flag rather than force.
- Price before workAgreed with you before the first cylinder comes out.
- Keys handed overNew keys, old ones dead, and a note of what opens what.
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Where rekeying leads next
FAQ
Rekeying questions, answered
How long does rekeying take?
A typical small office or shop is done in one visit. It scales with the number of cylinders, not the size of the building — ten doors takes longer than a big room with two.
Can you make all our doors use one key?
Yes, that’s keying alike, and it’s usually done at the same visit. It’s the right call when everyone who has a key should reach every door.
Can staff copy the new keys at a hardware store?
With standard keyways, yes — anyone can. If that’s the thing you’re actually trying to stop, ask about restricted keyways, where copies are controlled and only issued to named people. Worth knowing the tiers differ — patented keyways hold up better than merely restricted ones, where blanks circulate more than people expect. Worth knowing the tiers differ — patented keyways hold up better than merely restricted ones, where blanks circulate more than people expect. Worth knowing the tiers differ — patented keyways hold up better than merely restricted ones, where blanks circulate more than people expect.
We’ve lost one key, not all of them. Still worth rekeying?
If you can’t say where it is, treat it as being in someone else’s pocket. Rekeying the affected doors is far cheaper than the alternative.