Residential Locksmith Services in Florence & the Florence area
When you're standing on your porch late at night, locked out of the house with no key in sight, you need a locksmith who actually answers and actually shows up. Florence Locksmiths is a 24/7 mobile team serving homes throughout Florence, KY and the surrounding Boone County area — from the neighborhoods off Mall Road and Houston Road to the quieter streets near Stringtown, Oakbrook, and Turfway. We come to you with a fully equipped van, trained and insured technicians, and a focus on damage-free entry wherever the hardware allows.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week · Licensed, bonded & insured
This page is about protecting the place you live: emergency lockouts, lock rekeying after a move, upgrading to a higher-grade deadbolt or a smart lock, and everything in between — including specialty work on a mortise lock, which many older Florence homes still use on their front doors. Whatever your door needs, we'll explain your options in plain language and confirm an exact up-front price before any work begins. Call (859) 217-6974 anytime — day, night, weekend, or holiday.
What we do
Mortise Lock Specialists
We repair, rekey, and replace mortise locks on older Florence homes and heavy solid-core doors.
Same-Day Rekeying
Rekey every lock in your house after a move-in or lost key without swapping the hardware.
Door Knob & Deadbolt Upgrades
Install and repair door knob locks, deadbolts, and matching keyed sets across your home.
Local & Insured
A Florence-based team that arrives with the parts to finish most home jobs in one visit.
Locked Out of the House? Here's What Our Emergency Locksmith Does
Getting locked out of your house is stressful — especially late at night, in bad weather, or with kids and groceries waiting. When you call our emergency locksmith line, the first thing we do is confirm you're safe and get your location, whether you're near the Florence Mall, off Mall Road, over in Oakbrook, or on a quieter street near Stringtown. A trained technician with a fully stocked mobile van is dispatched straight to you, and because we operate locally, response times are genuinely fast rather than a promise we can't keep.
On arrival, we verify that you live at or are authorized to enter the property — this protects you and your household. Then we assess the door and hardware. For a standard door knob lock or residential deadbolt, we use non-destructive entry methods designed to open the door without harming it. Higher-security cylinders and a mortise lock take a more careful, methodical approach, but our goal is always damage-free entry where the lock design allows it.
If you're locked out of the house with no key at all, we can also cut or program a replacement on the spot so you're not stuck again the moment we leave. Wondering what to do if locked out of your house before we arrive? Check for hidden spares, try secondary doors and the garage, and never attempt to climb through a window. Call (859) 217-6974 — we answer 24/7 and can talk you through the safe options while a technician is on the way.
Just Moved In? A Room-by-Room Security Reset
The single most overlooked step after buying or renting a home is dealing with the keys you didn't get. Previous owners, real estate agents, contractors, cleaners, and neighbors may all have copies you'll never know about. That's why the first job we recommend for new residents across Florence and Boone County is lock rekeying on every exterior door — front, back, side, and the door from the garage into the house. Rekeying changes the internal pins so every old key is instantly useless, without the expense of all-new hardware.
When we perform a new-home audit, we walk the exterior with you and look at the whole picture: the grade and condition of each deadbolt, whether the strike plates are anchored into the framing with long screws, the state of any door knob lock, and whether a decorative mortise lock on an older front door still operates smoothly. Homes in established neighborhoods near Main Street or the older sections around Florence sometimes have beautiful original mortise hardware that's worth preserving and rekeying rather than swapping out.
We'll also flag quick wins: sliding-door latches, secondary bolts on basement and patio doors, and whether it's the right moment to consider smart lock installation for keyless family access. If you've just closed on a place, this is the perfect time to knock everything out in one visit. Call (859) 217-6974 to book a move-in security reset — we'll confirm an exact up-front price for the whole package before we touch a single lock.
Understanding Lock Grades 1, 2 and 3 — and Where Each Belongs
Not every lock is built to the same standard, and knowing the difference helps you spend money where it actually matters. Locks are commonly rated Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3 based on durability and resistance testing. Grade 1 is the strongest tier, built for the heaviest use and the greatest security; Grade 2 offers solid residential protection; and Grade 3 covers basic use where security demands are lower. Matching the grade to the door is the practical part most homeowners never get advice on.
For your main entry points — the front door, back door, and the connecting door from an attached garage — we generally recommend Grade 1 or a strong Grade 2 deadbolt. These are the doors an intruder tests first, so a robust deadbolt paired with a reinforced strike plate makes a real difference. A Grade 3 knob lock is fine for an interior door, a closet, or a low-traffic side entrance, but it shouldn't be your only line of defense on a primary door. Older homes may run a mortise lock, which houses the mechanism inside a pocket cut into the door edge and, when properly maintained, offers excellent strength and longevity.
During a consultation we'll tell you honestly which of your existing locks are pulling their weight and which are due for an upgrade. Sometimes the fix is as simple as adding a proper deadbolt above an aging knob lock; other times a full lock change to a higher grade is the smarter long-term move. Either way, we explain the reasoning so the decision is yours, not a sales pitch.
Smart Lock Installation, Mortise Smart Lock Upgrades and Getting the Ecosystem Right
Smart locks are one of the most popular home upgrades we handle, but compatibility trips a lot of people up. Before any smart lock installation, we check your door's thickness, backset, bore holes, and — crucially — whether you have a standard bored door or a mortise pocket. A mortise smart lock is a different animal from a typical deadbolt-style smart lock; it retrofits into that internal pocket found on many older and higher-end doors, giving you keyless convenience without losing the strength of true mortise hardware.
The other half of the job is the ecosystem. We help you pick hardware that plays nicely with the platform you already use — whether that's an app-only lock, a keypad model, or one that ties into a broader smart-home hub. We install brands like Schlage and Kwikset, set up user codes for family members, test auto-lock and low-battery alerts, and make sure the deadbolt throws fully and aligns with the strike so the motor isn't fighting a misaligned door. A poorly aligned smart lock drains batteries and fails at the worst moment, so we take alignment seriously.
We also talk through the trade-offs honestly: what happens during a power or Wi-Fi outage, how backup physical keys or codes work, and which models hold up in Kentucky's temperature swings on an exposed front door. If you want the convenience of keyless entry with the reassurance of a mechanical override, we'll steer you toward the right configuration. Call (859) 217-6974 to schedule an installation and setup that's done properly the first time.
Rekey or Replace? How to Rekey a Lock and When a Full Lock Change Wins
One of the most common questions we get is how to rekey a lock versus when to replace it outright, so here's the straight answer. Rekeying keeps your existing lock body and simply changes the pin configuration inside the cylinder so old keys stop working and a new key takes over. It's ideal after losing a key, when a tenant or housemate leaves, or when you want several doors keyed alike so one key runs the whole house. If you've been searching for rekey locks near me because you just want old keys deactivated, a rekey is almost always the answer.
Lock replacement becomes the better call when the hardware itself is the problem. A deadbolt that sticks, a corroded exterior finish, a loose knob lock that no longer seats properly, or an outdated cylinder that can't be rekeyed all point toward a full lock change. It's also the moment to upgrade — moving from a lower grade to a Grade 1 deadbolt, converting to a smart lock, or restoring a worn mortise lock with a modern, secure replacement mechanism.
Our technicians carry the tools and pins to rekey most residential cylinders right at your door, and we can cut fresh keys on site, so you rarely wait days for a solution. When you're not sure which path makes sense, we'll inspect the lock, tell you whether a rekey will hold up or whether you're better served by replacement, and give you an exact up-front price for whichever direction you choose. No guesswork, no pressure.
Practical Ways to Harden Your Doors — and the Convenience of Key Copies Near You
Serious security doesn't always mean a big spend. Some of the most effective improvements are small: swapping the short screws in your strike plate for three-inch screws that bite into the wall stud, adding a secondary deadbolt to a back or basement door, upgrading a flimsy door knob lock, and making sure sliding doors have a bar or auxiliary pin lock. We can knock several of these out in a single visit, and they meaningfully raise how hard your entry points are to defeat.
Landscaping and habits matter too. Trimming shrubs away from windows removes hiding spots, motion lighting near entries is a strong deterrent, and simply keeping the door from the garage into the house locked closes a gap intruders love. We'll point out the weak spots on a quick walk-around — the kind of details you stop noticing after living somewhere a while — and prioritize the changes that give you the most protection for the effort.
On the convenience side, we handle key duplication for your home, office, mailbox, and many fobs and access cards, so you can keep tested spares with people you trust. Rather than a self-service kiosk that can't verify a tricky key or troubleshoot a stubborn lock, you get a skilled technician who cuts the key, tests it in your actual lock, and fixes any issue on the spot. If a copied key doesn't turn smoothly, we correct it then and there — something a machine simply can't do.
Brands We Service
We install, repair and rekey all major lock brands — from everyday deadbolts to high-security cylinders.
Don’t see your brand? We service virtually every make — just call.
Reviews
What Florence & the Florence area Customers Say
Service area
Areas we cover around Florence
Based in Florence, we reach the Florence area fast — 24/7. Don’t see your street? Call us, we very likely cover it.
(859) 217-6974Frequently asked questions
Answers to what our customers ask most. Still unsure? Just call.
Who to call if I'm locked out of my house?+
Call a professional mobile locksmith who can verify ownership and get you back inside without unnecessary damage. Florence Locksmiths answers 24/7 at (859) 217-6974, and because we're locally based we can usually reach homes across the Florence area quickly. Before calling, it's worth checking for a hidden spare key or an unlocked back door or garage entry, since that can save you a service call entirely.
How much is a locksmith if I'm locked out of my house?+
The final quote depends on the type of lock on your door, the time of day, how far our technician travels to reach you, and whether any parts or a rekey are needed afterward. A standard door knob lock is different from a high-security deadbolt or a mortise lock, and each affects the approach. We always confirm an exact up-front price before any work begins, so you'll never be surprised.
What do I do if I've locked myself out of my house?+
Stay calm and do a quick walk-around: check every door, ground-floor window, garage entry, and any spot where you may keep a spare key. Contact a household member or landlord who might have a copy. If none of that works, call us at (859) 217-6974 and we'll dispatch a trained technician to perform damage-free entry where the hardware allows.
What to do if you're locked out of your house with no key?+
If you're locked out with no key at all, don't try to force a window or door — that often causes damage that costs more than the lockout itself. Verify you have proof you live there (an ID with your address helps), then call a professional. Our technicians carry the tools to open most residential locks safely and can cut or program a fresh key on the spot afterward.
How does a locksmith make a key without the original?+
We can create a working key several ways: by decoding the lock cylinder itself, by reading the lock's code, or by impressioning. For many modern deadbolts and knob locks we simply disassemble the cylinder, read the pin combination, and cut a matching key. This is also how a fresh key is produced during a rekey, so you leave with keys that work even if the originals were lost.
When should I rekey a lock instead of replacing it?+
Rekeying is the right choice when the lock hardware is in good shape and you only need to invalidate old keys — after buying a home, losing a key, or a roommate moving out. It changes the internal pins so previous keys no longer work. Replacement makes more sense when the lock is worn, damaged, outdated, or you want to upgrade to a higher grade or a smart lock.
What is a locksmith call-out fee, and who is the cheapest locksmith?+
A call-out fee reflects the cost of dispatching a trained, insured technician and their mobile workshop to your address. Rather than chasing the lowest number, look for a locksmith who gives a clear, exact price up front — which is what we do before any work starts. Beware of quotes that seem unusually low and then climb once the technician arrives.
What to do if you can't afford a locksmith right now?+
First, exhaust safe free options: look for spare keys, unlocked secondary entrances, or a trusted person nearby with a copy. When you do call us, ask for the full up-front price so you can plan, and we'll explain exactly what the job requires and why. We'd rather give you an honest breakdown than have you attempt a forced entry that damages your door.