Locksmith in
Cresskill, NJ
Licensed, bonded and insured. Mobile to Cresskill ZIP 07626, 24 hours a day — emergencies usually within the hour.
What we see most in Cresskill
Cresskill is the tightest of the Northern Valley boroughs. A little over two square miles, somewhere around three thousand homes, and noticeably denser than the towns on either side of it. The borough was carved out in the 1890s during the wave that produced most of Bergen County's small municipalities, the Camp Merritt years brought the railroad and the traffic that came with it, and the ground filled in properly after the Second World War on modest lots. The constraint here is land. Which is why the dominant pattern is not the teardown that defines the boroughs to the north. It is the addition.
The standard Cresskill house is a 1950s core with a rear extension bolted on in the 1980s and more space added again in the last fifteen years. Every one of those phases arrived with its own door and its own lock. The front might still be on the cylinder the original builder fitted. The rear door came with the extension and is on a different keyway entirely. The newest opening is usually a slider or a French pair with a multipoint mechanism inside it, one handle throwing several bolts along the door edge, which most locksmiths will not touch. So the recurring call here is not a lockout. It is that one key opens two of the five doors and nobody is sure about the rest.
That is not a security problem yet. It is a records problem, and it gets worse the longer a family stays. Houses held a long time accumulate keys the way they accumulate everything else, and nobody knows how many are out there. A rekey in that situation is not really a security product, it is an inventory reset: it makes the answer to how many working keys exist equal to the number you are holding. Do the test yourself before calling. Take your key to every keyhole. Where it enters but will not turn, that lock shares a keyway with yours and we can bring them onto one key. Where it will not enter, the hardware has to change.
We will normally argue you out of replacing hardware that works. A cylinder from a decent maker that still turns cleanly after forty years does not need to become a new deadbolt. It needs fresh pins and a key nobody else holds. Where we do push is the openings on the narrow side of the house, because Cresskill lots sit close together and a side or rear door screened by a fence, a hedge and the neighbour's garage is worth the stronger cylinder and the longer screws into the frame. A front door under a light, in full view of the street, is not where the money should go.
What we charge in Cresskill
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 Cresskill
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 Cresskill 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
Cresskill questions
Is rekeying worth it if nothing has happened?
That is exactly when it is worth it. Rekeying after something has happened is damage control. Rekeying when you take over a house, or when a long-held house changes hands within a family, is the cheapest security measure available and it takes an afternoon. The point is not that anyone is coming. The point is that you stop guessing how many working keys exist, and the answer becomes the number in your hand. Nothing else you can buy for a door does that.
Our house has been extended twice and every door takes a different key. Can they all be matched?
Usually most of them, and we will tell you honestly which ones cannot. Locks that accept your key but will not turn share a keyway and get rekeyed to match. Locks your key will not enter have to be changed, and we key the replacements to everything else at no extra charge. Extensions are the common culprit: whoever hung the new door fitted whatever the supplier sent. It is worth doing the whole house in one visit rather than a door at a time.
A locksmith told us the door on our extension cannot be rekeyed. Is that true?
Almost never. That is usually a multipoint door with a European profile cylinder, and the honest version of that sentence is that the locksmith does not stock the part. The cylinder pulls out once the fixing screw in the door edge is removed, and it is replaced or rekeyed like anything else, sized to the thickness of the door. If the gearbox itself has failed that is a bigger job, but it is still a repair rather than a new door. Photographs of the door edge settle it quickly.
How much does it cost to rekey a house in Cresskill?
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 Cresskill. Estimates by text, photo or video are free.
Do you charge extra after hours in Cresskill?
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 Cresskill?
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 Cresskill?
Emergencies are usually within the hour. We run technicians across the coverage area rather than sending everything out from one place, so Cresskill is covered around the clock. We give a realistic arrival window on the phone rather than an optimistic one.