Smart locks
House lockouts
Re-keying
Deadbolt upgrades
Schlage
Kwikset
Car keys & fobsNon-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Get your free estimateFast, Reliable Emergency Locksmith Across Burbank
Locked out at midnight off North San Fernando Boulevard, or standing in a Magnolia Park driveway with a key snapped in a 1930s mortise lock? An emergency locksmith in Burbank typically arrives in 30 – 45 minutes, and most lockouts are resolved within 20 minutes of arrival. Glendale Lock & Key serves every Burbank neighborhood, from the Media District to the Rancho, 24/7. Call (855) 791-2710 and you’ll speak directly with a locksmith who knows Burbank’s older housing stock, not a call-center dispatcher three states away.
Burbank’s housing mix creates lock problems you won’t find in newer parts of the Valley. Many homes south of the hills still carry original wood-frame doors with vintage mortise locksets that a generalist locksmith won’t touch. We do. When an emergency hits, you need someone who can arrive fast and recognize what’s actually on the door before reaching for a drill.
Why Glendale Lock & Key Is Burbank’s Preferred Emergency Locksmith Company
Burbank residents call us because we handle the hardware other locksmiths turn away. That means Kwikset and Schlage deadbolts on mid-century Rancho tract homes, Baldwin entry sets on Chandler Bike Path bungalows, and full Medeco or Abloy restricted-keyway systems at commercial properties near the Empire Center. Our team works on all of them. When a Burbank property manager needs an emergency rekey after staff turnover at a studio-adjacent office, we don’t refer it out. We pull the cylinder records and rekey on site.
Noel Tarkanian built Glendale Lock & Key around a simple principle: if we can’t service the lock correctly, we don’t touch it. That expertise matters in Burbank because so many homes in the 91522 and 91523 zip codes still have original mortise cylinders and rim locks that standard aftermarket components cannot replace without door modification. We would rather spend 40 minutes disassembling, lubricating, and rekeying a vintage lock than 10 minutes drilling it beyond repair. Burbank homeowners notice the difference, and they tell their neighbors.
Response time to Burbank from our Glendale base stays consistently tight. Surface-street routing down Glenoaks Boulevard or Burbank Boulevard puts us in Magnolia Park or the Media District quickly, even during rush hour. We know the side streets, the one-way patterns, and which arteries clog at shift change. That local route knowledge shaves real minutes off a lockout call when you’re standing outside at night.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Emergency Locksmith Services in Burbank
24/7 Emergency Lockout
Whether you’re locked out of a 1920s Spanish Colonial on North Lima Street or a fifth-floor apartment near the Burbank Town Center, we open doors without unnecessary drilling. For Burbank’s vintage mortise locks, we default to non-destructive bypass techniques first. The door, the frame, and the original hardware stay intact. Call and you’ll get a real arrival window, not a vague promise.
Broken Key Extraction
Keys snap most often in worn cylinders, and Burbank has no shortage of 60-to-90-year-old lock cylinders still in daily use. A broken key extraction in a modern Kwikset deadbolt is straightforward. A broken key in an original 1930s mortise cylinder is a different job entirely, requiring extraction tools and a light touch to avoid damaging the internal springs and pins. We stock extraction kits sized for both modern and obsolete keyway formats.
Safe Opening
Home safes in Burbank range from small fire-resistant boxes in Rancho Equestrian district closets to commercial drop safes at retail counters along San Fernando Boulevard. We open safes without destroying the locking mechanism whenever possible, preserving the safe for continued use. If the safe holds a spin-dial lock from an older generation, that’s within our capability set, not a referral out.
Eviction Lock Change
Burbank landlords and property managers handle evictions under Los Angeles County rules, and a lock change after a court-ordered eviction needs to happen promptly and with documentation. We rekey or replace locks at single-family rentals in Magnolia Park, multi-unit buildings in the 91521 zip code, and commercial leases near the Media District. Every job gets a written cylinder-change record you can file.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Burbank
We service the lock you already have, whether it’s a Schlage B60 deadbolt on a Rancho tract home, a Baldwin mortise entry set on a hillside property above Kenneth Road, or a Sargent commercial cylindrical lock on a post-production facility door near the 134. For Burbank customers, that means no sales pressure to rip out vintage hardware and replace it with cheap big-box stock. Our vans carry parts for Kwikset, Schlage, Medeco, Yale, Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, and Abloy. If a cylinder needs a fresh pin kit, we have it on board, not on back order.
Common Emergency Locksmith Problems We See in Burbank Homes
- Original mortise locks that seize after a heat wave: Burbank’s hot, dry summers and Santa Ana wind events dry out wood doors and jambs. A mortise lock that worked in May can bind tight by August. We disassemble, clean, and lubricate the internal mechanism rather than forcing it.
- Warped original wood doors on 1920s – 1950s bungalows: Many homes on the flats south of the hills still have original wood-frame doors. When the wood moves, the deadbolt latch no longer aligns with the strike plate. The fix often involves adjusting the strike and realigning the latch, not swapping the lock.
- Deadbolt misalignment after minor seismic activity: Frame shift loosens screws and changes door geometry. A deadbolt that will not throw is frequently a frame alignment issue, not a failed lock. We check the entire door assembly, not just the cylinder.
- Keys broken in obsolete cylinders: Magnolia Park bungalows often still have 1930s-era mortise cylinders. When an old key snaps in an old keyway, many locksmiths will drill the cylinder and tell you to replace the whole lock. We extract the broken key and rekey the original cylinder, which keeps the vintage hardware functional and saves you a full-lock replacement you often cannot buy off the shelf anyway.
Pricing for Emergency Locksmith in Burbank, CA
A 24/7 emergency lockout in Burbank typically runs $90 – $160 during standard hours and $140 – $220 after midnight or on weekends, before parts. Broken key extraction runs $80 – $140. Rekeying a single mortise cylinder in Magnolia Park generally costs $35 – $70 per cylinder plus a $65 – $95 service call. Safe opening starts at $180 and depends on the safe’s locking mechanism and size. Those are honest Burbank market ranges, not bait pricing.
You will get a full price quoted on the phone before anyone is dispatched. That price is the price on your invoice. No call-out surcharge added at the door, no pressure upselling. For commercial jobs in the Media District or Empire Center, we provide a written scope and flat per-lock pricing before work begins. Call (855) 791-2710 and tell us what you’re looking at. We’ll give you a real number.
We Also Serve Cities Near Burbank
While this page covers emergency locksmith work throughout Burbank, our service area extends to Universal City, North Hollywood, Glendale, and Studio City. If you manage properties on both sides of the 134 or split time between Burbank and the NoHo Arts District, one call handles it. We know the Valley, and we route between these cities every day.
Serving Burbank, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Burbank area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Emergency Locksmith in Burbank
In most cases, we can repair it. A stuck mortise lock is usually a lubrication and wear issue, not a reason to replace the entire lockset. We disassemble the lock body on site, clean the internal mechanism, replace worn springs or the deadbolt if needed, and rekey the cylinder. True replacement only makes sense when the lock body is cracked or the internal parts are sheared. Even then, salvaging the original escutcheon and door hardware matters on a vintage Burbank bungalow. Call (855) 791-2710 and describe what you’re seeing; we’ll tell you over the phone what’s likely repairable.
Yes, and we lead with non-destructive entry on every lockout. On original 1930s mortise locks and older wood doors, non-destructive bypass is the default. Drilling is only a last resort when a lock is failed, not just locked. We carry the bypass tools and the training to open vintage keyways without scarring the door or breaking the original hardware. That matters when the door is irreplaceable or the lock carries historical character.
Burbank’s dry heat and Santa Ana conditions pull moisture out of wood doors and jambs. The door swells and shrinks with the seasons, and when the wood moves, the deadbolt latch no longer aligns with the strike plate. The lock itself is usually fine. We reset the strike plate, adjust the latch throw, and sometimes plane the jamb if the shifting is significant. Once the door is properly aligned, the deadbolt works year-round. Call for a diagnosis, and we’ll quote the fix before booking the appointment.
Rekeying changes the internal pin configuration inside your existing cylinder so old keys no longer work. New keys operate the same lock. Replacement means removing the cylinder and installing a new one, which makes sense when the cylinder is damaged or the keyway is too worn for reliable operation. On many Burbank bungalows, rekeying is the better path because the original mortise cylinder is a non-standard size. You keep the vintage hardware and eliminate key-control risk for a fraction of the cost of replacement, which often involves retrofitting the door.
Yes. The Media District, Empire Center, and the studio-adjacent commercial corridor generate a lot of our Burbank emergency calls. That includes master-keyed office doors, restricted keyway cylinders, and access-control systems. We carry commercial-grade hardware on the van and can rekey a suite of doors after staff turnover on the same visit. For scheduled commercial work, we provide a written scope and flat per-lock pricing, never a vague hourly that drifts upward. Call (855) 791-2710 for a commercial estimate.
Written by Noel Tarkanian, Owner at Glendale Lock & Key, serving Burbank and the San Fernando Valley.