Business Rekeying in Las Vegas After Staff Changes, Lost Keys and New Leases

Rekey your business locks any time you cannot say where every key is. That includes the day an employee leaves without handing a key back, the day you move into a new space, and the day a key goes missing. A rekey makes every old key useless and gives you a fresh set, and the locks stay on the doors.

This guide goes past our commercial locksmith page. It lists the moments that call for a rekey, what the work involves on commercial doors, when to replace instead, what national guides say it costs, and what to tell us on the phone.

The short version

These are the points that matter most.

• Rekey when you lose track of a keyA key you cannot account for is a key someone else may have.
• Keep the locks, change the keysA rekey changes what fits the cylinder. The hardware on the door stays.
• Do it door by doorWe can schedule around your hours so staff and customers are not blocked.
• Replace only when the hardware is wornA tired lock or a failed latch needs replacing. A good lock with a lost key needs rekeying.
• Think about the systemA rekey is the best moment to set up a master key plan or restricted keys.
• Budget from national rangesHousecall Pro's August 2026 guide lists a rekey at $50 to $130 per lock.

Six moments that call for a rekey

Each of these has a clear sign and a clear fix.

• An employee leaves with a keyIf the key did not come back, treat it as lost. Rekey the doors that key opened, and the cash room first.
• A key is lost or stolenDo not wait to see if it turns up. Rekey the doors and keep the old key list for the record.
• You sign a new leaseYou do not know who held keys before you. Rekey on day one, after you read your lease for any rule about changing locks.
• After a break in or an attemptLocks that were forced may need replacing, but the keys on the other doors are still a risk.
• A contractor or cleaner is doneIf a vendor had keys, collect them. If they did not all come back, rekey.
• The keys have driftedIf nobody knows who holds what, a rekey with a written chart resets the whole building.

What a commercial rekey involves

A rekey changes the pins inside the cylinder so a new key works and the old key does not. A rekey does not change the keyway, which is the shape of the slot, so a lock stays in its family. Some patented and sealed designs need an authorized dealer, so tell us the make before we plan the visit.

On a commercial door the cylinder is often small and easy to remove. The heavy lock body can stay in the door while the cylinder comes out for repinning and goes back. We work door by door, often early in the morning or after you close, and larger properties can be split over several sessions. We label the new keys and hand you a written chart.

Before we leave we test every new key in every lock, and we test an old key in each one to confirm it no longer works. That last test is the proof that the rekey did its job, and it takes seconds per door. If you want a witness, walk the doors with us.

If your building uses interchangeable cores

Some buildings use cores that come out with a special control key. Locksmith Ledger's interchangeable core article from August 2007 says the Best style core was designed so staff with no lock training could rekey a lock, and the concept suits facilities with high employee turnover. The control key turns about 15 degrees to free the core, and a new core drops in.

If you have cores and the control key, swapping a core is a quick fix when someone leaves. If you have cores and no control key, tell us. The job gets harder and more expensive without it. Cores are also where many master key systems live, so see our master key systems page.

Rekey or replace

Rekey when the lock works and the keys are the problem. Replace when the lock itself is worn, bent or broken, or when you want a stronger grade. Our guide to whether it is cheaper to replace locks or rekey walks through the math, and worn out hardware is a replacement job.

Housecall Pro's price guide, published August 14 2026, lists a rekey at $50 to $130 per lock, a deadbolt installation at $50 to $200 and a full lock replacement at $100 to $300. These are national figures and a per lock rekey is the cheapest of the three. Commercial jobs are usually quoted by the project, because the number of doors and the hardware change the answer.

Make the rekey count

A rekey is a chance to fix the system, not only the keys. Ask for a master key plan so one top key opens everything while staff keys open only their areas. Ask for restricted keys on the doors that guard cash and stock, so copies need your approval. Locksmith Ledger's high security article from January 2021 calls lost, loaned and unreturned keys and staff changes the most critical key control issue for commercial users.

If a door uses a keypad, change the code at the same visit. Our keypad and keyless entry page covers how to run codes by person. For the doors where you want a record of who entered, ask us about access control.

Mistakes that make a rekey fail

A rekey is only as good as the list behind it. These are the mistakes we see most often.

• Rekeying only the front doorBack doors, loading doors and the roof hatch are used as often as the front.
• Forgetting the small locksPadlocks, gates, file cabinets, desk drawers and alarm panel boxes count too.
• Skipping the chartWithout a list of who holds which key, the building drifts back to the same mess within a year.
• Handing out copies freelyEvery extra key is another one to lose. Number the keys and keep a sign out sheet.
• Not testing every doorTry each new key in each lock before the technician leaves, and try the old key to confirm it fails.

Keep a record of the rekey

Write down the date, the doors, the number of keys cut and the name of each person who received one. Keep a copy in the office and one off site. When the next person leaves, you can answer the question of what they could open in a minute, not a week.

If you also run codes on a keypad or a card system, put those in the same record so one page shows every way into the building.

Working with a landlord or property manager

If you lease your space, read the lease before you change a lock. Many leases ask you to give the landlord a copy of the key or to tell them first. We can leave the landlord's access in place if the lease requires it, or give you the new set alone if it does not. Our property management page explains how owners handle rekeys between tenants.

If you manage a property with many doors and many tenants, tell us up front. A turnover plan that rekeys a suite when a lease ends is much cheaper than rekeying the whole property after a loss.

What to tell us on the phone

Share these details and we can tell you quickly what the job involves.

• How many doors and cylindersA rough count is fine. Include cabinets and padlocks.
• Why you are rekeyingA departure, a lost key, a new lease or a break in. It changes which doors come first.
• The lock typePin tumbler cylinders, mortise locks, interchangeable cores or keypads.
• Your hoursWe can work early, late or on a weekend so you stay open.
• Who will hold the new keysA short list now saves time later.

Check any locksmith before you let them in

Nevada law, in NRS 655.070, says every person who wants to operate as a locksmith must get a permit from the county sheriff and carry it at all times. Silver State Locksmith holds City of Las Vegas Locksmith License P64 00012, and you can check it at verify our license. Report problems to the Nevada Attorney General.

If you are locked out of the building while you wait for the rekey, our office lockout service answers around the clock. When you are ready, contact us.