Locks
Lock Installation & Repair in Baltimore & Maryland
New house, lost key, or a lock that's seen better days? Citywide Safe & Lock has installed and repaired locks across Baltimore since 1984 — deadbolts, smart locks, and high-security cylinders for homes and businesses throughout Central Maryland, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia. Our mobile vans carry residential and commercial hardware for same-day lock change and rekeying.
Need a locksmith now? Call 1-410-644-2011 — dispatch answers 24/7 and we quote over the phone before any work starts.
Should you change your locks — or just rekey them?
Rekeying alters the lock so the old key stops working; a lock change replaces the whole hardware. Rekeying wins when your locks are sound and share a brand — one key for every door, less money — while a full change is right when locks are worn out, you're upgrading security, or every door carries a different brand, as American Home Shield's rekey guide explains.
Our standing rule: we try repair and rekeying before replacement. If your hardware is healthy, we'll say so — and charge you the smaller job.
Just moved to Baltimore? Rekey first.
You have no idea how many copies of your keys the previous owner handed out — to dog walkers, cleaners, ex-partners, contractors. Rekeying on move-in day is the cheapest security upgrade a new homeowner can buy, and it takes one visit.
Lost a copy of your key somewhere along the way? Same answer. If someone finds it, it shouldn't open anything.
Deadbolt, smart lock, or high-security — what belongs on your door?
| Lock type | Best for | Know this |
|---|---|---|
| Deadbolt | Every exterior door | The baseline — no front door should lack one |
| Smart lock | Rentals, families, keyless convenience | Codes and phones; keep a keyed override you trust |
| High-security cylinder | Main entries, businesses | Restricted keyways; resists picking and bumping |
We install Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, August, Von Duprin — and Mul-T-Lock high-security is our preferred brand. We trust it so much we put it on the front of our shop.
Can bump keys really open standard locks?
Yes — most pin-tumbler door locks, the world's most common type, can be bumped open with very little skill and a short learning curve, according to home-inspector association InterNACHI's bump-key briefing. Bump-key sets are even sold online, cut per manufacturer.
The fixes, cheapest first: a locksmith can swap in spool ("mushroom") pins for under $20 a lock for better resistance; bump-resistant lines from makers like Schlage and Baldwin cost more; true bump-proof cylinders such as Medeco start around $100 and need dealer-cut keys. Tell us your street and your doors and we'll tell you which level you actually need.
The call we love most is the new homeowner with a bag of mismatched keys — an hour later the whole house runs on one key, and the old owner's copies open nothing. Second favorite: the renter whose bargain lock wasn't bump-resistant, now running a restricted keyway. Locks are simple machines; matching the right one to the door is the craft.
Locked in, locked out, or just moved in
Deadbolts, smart locks, rekeys, full changes — quoted before we start, guaranteed after. Call now: 1-410-644-2011. We're local, fast and reliable — you won't pay a dime more than you should.
