Locksmith in
Closter, NJ
Licensed, bonded and insured. Mobile to Closter ZIP 07624, 24 hours a day — emergencies usually within the hour.
What we see most in Closter
Closter is the largest of the three central Northern Valley boroughs, a little over three square miles with close to three thousand housing units, and it has turned over harder than any of them. Dutch settlers arrived in the early 1700s and the name comes from klooster, a quiet place. There are sandstone farmhouses, an 1859 railroad village core, and a locally designated historic district running to a couple of hundred buildings. On the same street grid there are replacement houses substantially larger than whatever stood there before. Both extremes are live at once, and they produce completely different calls in the same week.
The specifically Closter job is keys during a build. A rebuild or a gut renovation runs months, and across that time a lockbox code, a builder's key or a spare hanging on a nail passes through framers, roofers, electricians, plumbers, tilers, cleaners, inspectors and a delivery driver or two. Nobody involved is doing anything wrong. It is simply that by handover the honest answer to how many working keys exist is that nobody knows, and the people who might still have one have no reason to remember. Rekeying on the day the trades finish is the most sensible security spending on a project of that size, and it is a rounding error against the hardware budget.
If you have bought one of the older houses with a view to renovating, do not spend money on hardware yet. Rekey what is already there so the previous owner's keys stop working, live in the house through a season, and put the good locks on the doors you are actually keeping once the plan has settled. We would rather say that than sell you deadbolts for doors you are about to remove. It is also worth waiting because the doors that survive a renovation are rarely the ones people expect at the start, and hardware bought early tends to end up in a box in the garage.
New builds here arrive with hardware somebody else chose. That often means EMTEK or Baldwin trim on the front with a builder-grade cylinder behind it, and it nearly always means multipoint patio and French doors from Andersen or Marvin, or an imported European entry set. Multipoint units are frequently delivered on a construction key that the builder is meant to step out of at handover, which is a sound system and useless if nobody performs the step. Most locksmiths will not touch multipoint and quote a door replacement. We rekey the mechanism and the euro-profile cylinders instead, and recognise the difference between a builder- grade cylinder and the trim wrapped around it.
What we charge in Closter
Real numbers, published up front. You should not have to call three locksmiths to find out what something costs.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| New homeowner — Rekey & Secure up to 6 cylinders, keyed alike, 5 keys cut on site | $695 |
| New homeowner — Rekey, Secure & Keyless the above plus an MK-1 smart deadbolt | $1,275 |
| New homeowner — Complete Smart Entry plus a second opening and a garage keypad | $2,395 |
| Rekey one cylinder with a working key | $55 |
| Rekey one cylinder no working key | $100 |
| MK-1 / MK-2 smart deadbolt installed, on its own visit | $750 |
| Mul-T-Lock high-security deadbolt installed, on its own visit | $825 |
| Smart garage keypad installed and paired | $750 |
| Door won't close or lock is sticking | $250–$600 |
| European-style multipoint door service | $450–$1,250 |
| House lockout daytime / after 5 PM | $250 / $350 |
| Commercial door & hardware evaluation | $250 |
What the price includes:
- The mobile service charge — every price above includes coming to you
- Keying every lock we touch to a single key
- 5 keys cut and tested in the locks on any rekey
- Testing everything works before we leave, and an itemised receipt with photographs
What costs extra, and how much:
- Each cylinder beyond a package limit — $55 with a working key, $100 without
- A door needing a new bore — $100 per lock
- Keys beyond the 5 included — $5 each
- After 5 PM the mobile service charge is $350, collected before dispatch
- A lock destroyed during an emergency entry, replaced — $150
Prices shown are in effect from August 2026 and remain in effect until updated on this page. Final price is confirmed with you before any work begins. Where a range is shown, the final figure is confirmed on site before work starts. If the job is smaller than quoted, you pay less.
Everything we do in Closter
The whole house rekeyed to one key, with keyless and garage upgrades.
From $695 RekeyingKeyed alike at no extra charge, five keys cut and tested at your door.
$55 per cylinder Smart locksThe MK line, with a two-year guarantee on the lock — it fails, we replace and refit it free.
$750 installed High-security deadboltsMul-T-Lock, with a patented key no hardware store can copy.
$825 installed Doors that stickAlignment, strike plates, hinges, and multipoint hardware.
From $250 Commercial & propertyEvaluations, turnovers, master keys, exit devices.
$250 evaluationWhat people in Closter actually say
We had excellent service. Timothy, the Locksmith arrived within a half hour of phone call. He repaired two locks for us and new keys for our front door. I would definitely recommend his service and I would definitely call him again if I needed him
Geraldine M.Google review
Timothy from Major Key Locksmith was such a nice and honest guy. He did a great job rekeying the locks at my house in Hasbouck Heights. He explained how the keypad works and was so patient with me. He is a very polite and cleaned up after the job was done. Would definitely recommend him to my friends and family.
Ann M.Google review
Called Tim this morning problem with two anderson French doors locks one not locking one loose handle keeps falling off. Tim was great fast efficient and resolved both issues quickly. We are in north caldwell private home in essex county. Highly recommend Tim he comes out and does the work himself.
Rima N.Google review
Excellent service and attention to detail. Tim was able to troubleshoot a number of mechanical issues with competence and creativity. Got everything working smoothly and efficiently. Tech options explained clearly. Highly recommended!
Julie G.Google review
Those are real, and they are quoted exactly as written — but they are still five we chose. Read them where they live — unedited, in whatever order Google puts them, including any we would rather you skipped.
400+ reviews is not a handful of friends. It is nine years of doors.
Opens Google · nothing to sign up for
Closter questions
We are renovating. Should we rekey now or wait?
Rekey now, upgrade later. Rekeying stops every existing key working today, which is the actual risk in a house that has just changed hands. Buying good hardware for doors you might move, widen or remove is money you will not get back. Then rekey a second time at the end of the build, once the trades have finished and handed back whatever they were given. Two rekeys cost far less than one round of premature hardware, and they cover the two moments that genuinely matter.
Can you work around a contractor's schedule?
Yes, and we would rather. The end of a build is the single most sensible time to rekey a house, so we would sooner be the last trade on site than an inconvenience in the middle of one. Tell us the week the punch list closes and we will work to it. If the general contractor still needs access after we have been, we can leave one cylinder on a separate key and bring it onto the house key on a short return visit rather than pretending the handover happened earlier than it did.
The house is brand new. Does it still need rekeying?
Yes, and new construction is one of the clearer cases. Builder hardware is commonly supplied on a construction keying system, where a set of keys works until the owner's key is first used and then the earlier ones drop out. That works properly only if someone actually performs the step, and on a busy site it is routinely skipped. Beyond that, a set of keys existed for months while the site was open. Rekeying a new house is quick because the hardware is uniform.
How much does it cost to rekey a house in Closter?
Up to six cylinders — the usual three-door house — is $695 as the Rekey & Secure package, which includes the mobile service charge, keying every door alike, five keys cut and tested on site, and every deadbolt checked. Beyond six cylinders it is $55 each with a working key.
Is there a minimum charge?
$250. That is the mobile service charge and it is the floor on any residential or commercial visit in Closter. Estimates by text, photo or video are free.
Do you charge extra after hours in Closter?
After 5 PM the mobile service charge is $350 and it is collected before a locksmith is dispatched. Everything else is priced the same. After-hours dispatch is subject to technician availability.
Can I book online rather than calling?
Yes, for everything except car keys and active lockouts. Answer three questions about your doors, see a real price, pick a time. Leaving the deposit online takes $25 off.
Are you licensed to work in Closter?
Yes. New Jersey Locksmith Business License Number 34LX00020300, bonded and insured through State Farm, and Google Guaranteed. The licence number appears at the bottom of every page of this site, on our invoices and on our trucks, as New Jersey requires.
How soon can you get to Closter?
Emergencies are usually within the hour. We run technicians across the coverage area rather than sending everything out from one place, so Closter is covered around the clock. We give a realistic arrival window on the phone rather than an optimistic one.