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 Temple City
An emergency lockout in Temple City usually means one of two things: a deadbolt that won’t throw on an older stucco home, or keys locked inside a car on a street off Las Tunas. In both cases, you need someone who knows the town and shows up fast. We’re Emergency Locksmith specialists at Glendale Lock & Key, and we run calls throughout the 91780 zip code day and night. When you’re standing outside your own front door at midnight on Sultana Avenue or locked out of a detached garage off Live Oak, call (855) 791-2710. We answer, we dispatch, and we get you back inside.
Why Glendale Lock & Key Is Temple City’s Preferred Emergency Locksmith Company
Temple City isn’t a big place. It’s roughly three square miles of 1920s through 1960s single-family stucco homes, most of them on small lots with detached garages. That matters because the lock problems here are specific. A technician who only works new construction will quote you a full replacement when what you actually need is a strike plate adjusted on a door frame that’s shifted. Our team, led by Noel Tarkanian, works on the hardware Temple City homes actually have: original mortise locksets, single-cylinder deadbolts, aging wood door slabs, and mailbox locks that haven’t been touched since the Nixon administration.
We’ve spent years responding to calls across this city, from the blocks around Temple City Park to the neighborhoods east of Rosemead Boulevard. That matters. It means we know the housing. We know that a deadbolt that won’t throw on a 1940s bungalow near Oak Avenue is usually a jamb problem, not a lock problem. We carry rekey stock for Schlage, Kwikset, and Medeco because those are the brands we see most often here. And we quote honestly before any work starts, so the price we give you on the phone is the price on the invoice.
Styles & brands we work with







Key Takeaways
- Emergency locksmith response across Temple City, including lockouts, broken keys, and safe openings.
- Specific experience with 1920s – 1960s stucco homes, mortise locks, and warped door frames common in the 91780 area.
- Honest pricing quoted on the phone before dispatch. No arrival surcharge.
- Rekeying expertise that covers front door, detached garage, and rear ADU on one key system.
- Brand-level familiarity with Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Yale hardware.
Our Emergency Locksmith Services in Temple City
Most emergency calls in Temple City fall into a few categories. Here’s what we handle most often, and what each one actually looks like in this town.
24/7 Emergency Lockout
A lockout in Temple City is rarely a simple “door swung shut and keys are inside.” On the older blocks near Las Tunas and Live Oak, wood doors that have survived decades of dry summers and rain-swollen winters sit slightly out of square. That means the latch binds, the deadbolt sticks, and a door that was never truly latched suddenly won’t open. We’re trained for that. We don’t reach for a drill first. We assess the door, the jamb, and the strike plate, and we open as non-destructively as the hardware allows. Whether it’s 2 p.m. on a Tuesday or 2 a.m. on a Sunday, call us and we’ll be there.

House Lockout
A house lockout in Temple City often involves more than the front door. Many homes here have a detached rear garage and, in recent years, a rear ADU-style structure where a family member lives. That means getting back inside can involve three separate locks on one lot. We handle that. If you’ve locked yourself out of the house but the garage or ADU is accessible, that’s fine. We’ll work with whatever entry makes sense, and we’ll check all the locks while we’re there so you’re not dealing with a second lockout next month.

Broken Key Extraction
Older locks plus older keys equals snapped blades. We see broken keys regularly in Temple City because the locks are original hardware from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The key teeth wear down, the cylinder pins get tired, and one cold morning you turn the key and half of it is still in the keyhole. We extract broken keys without wrecking the cylinder, and we cut replacements on the spot. If the cylinder is too worn to hold a new key, we’ll tell you that honestly and rekey rather than drill.

Eviction Lock Change
Landlords in Temple City call us for eviction lock changes when a tenant has moved out and the property needs securing before a new tenant moves in. This isn’t a dispatch-and-drill job. We rekey the existing deadbolt and knobs, which is faster and keeps the hardware intact. On multi-unit properties or homes with ADUs, we can key each unit separately or set up a master key system for the property owner. We do this on a scheduled basis, not as an emergency call, and we provide a written scope before work starts.

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 Temple City
We don’t turn away work because the hardware is unfamiliar. Our techs work on Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, Yale, Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, and Abloy. In Temple City, the most common calls involve Schlage and Kwikset deadbolts from the 1960s, but we also handle Medeco high-security cylinders on newer doors and light commercial storefronts. We stock rekey pins, springs, and common replacement parts for these brands, which means shorter turnarounds for Temple City customers. When you call with a stuck Schlage deadbolt on a wood door near Cloverly Avenue, we’re bringing what we need to fix it, not just a drill.
Common Emergency Locksmith Problems We See in Temple City Homes
These are the situations that generate most of our emergency calls from Temple City. The list is specific to this housing stock, not a generic bulleted rundown.
- Deadbolts that won’t throw on out-of-square doors. The hot, dry San Gabriel Valley summers and Santa Ana wind events dry out and warp wood door frames. Then winter rains swell the same doors back the other direction. A deadbolt that won’t engage is often a strike plate problem, not a broken lock. We check the jamb before recommending replacement.
- Original mortise locks with 60 years of wear. Many Temple City homes still have the original mortise locksets installed when the house was built. These aren’t bad locks. They’re just tired. We re-key them, re-fit them, and keep them usable instead of replacing character with a generic knob set.
- Detached garages and rear ADUs with separate key chaos. Tight lot lines mean work happens in the back. A single household often has three different keys for the front door, the garage, and the ADU. We rekey all three to one key, or set up a master key system if the household wants separate access.
- Keys that snap off in worn cylinders. The original lock cylinders in 1920s – 1960s homes have tight tolerances from decades of use. A key with worn cuts under any torque snaps. We extract the broken blade and cut a fresh key on the spot, then assess whether the cylinder itself needs service.
Pricing for Emergency Locksmith in Temple City, CA
A typical house lockout in Temple City runs $95 – $175 depending on the lock type and time of day. Broken key extraction usually falls in the $75 – $140 range. Rekeying a single deadbolt and knob averages $45 – $85 per cylinder, with a multi-lock job on a front door, detached garage, and rear ADU typically totaling $150 – $280. Eviction lock changes for a single-family home generally run $120 – $200 for scheduled service. These are honest ranges, not teaser prices. The price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice. There is no call-out surcharge added when we arrive, and we don’t bait with a “$19” figure that turns into something else at your door.
What affects the price? The lock age, the cylinder type, whether the door is out of square and needs strike adjustment, and how many locks you want rekeyed or replaced. We’ll tell you before any work starts. Call (855) 791-2710 for a free estimate on any emergency locksmith work in Temple City.
We Also Serve Cities Near Temple City
Our emergency service area extends beyond the Temple City borders. We’re regularly in North El Monte, Rosemead, San Gabriel, and Arcadia. If you’re in one of those cities and need a locksmith, the same Temple City team covers your neighborhood too. Same phone, same service, same honest pricing.
Serving Temple City, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Temple City 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 Temple City
Usually not. On the older blocks of Temple City, a deadbolt that won’t throw is most often a door frame issue, not a lock failure. Decades of dry San Gabriel Valley summers and rain-swollen winters cause wood door slabs to sit slightly out of square. The locking bolt no longer lines up with the strike plate. We adjust the strike plate and re-fit the hardware before we ever quote a replacement. In our experience on Las Tunas and Live Oak, the fix is a strike adjustment and cylinder service, not a new deadbolt. If you need someone over today, call (855) 791-2710.
No. Builder’s keys, and the keys used by contractors and cleaners, are not unique. The locking cylinder still contains the same key cuts that every subcontractor had access to. So your house isn’t secure until the cylinder is rekeyed to a new key. In Temple City, we do new-owner rekeys regularly for people who just closed on a 1950s stucco home and want a fresh start. We rekey, we don’t replace, which keeps your original hardware intact. Call (855) 791-2710 for a quote, and we’ll schedule it around your move-in date.
Yes. Many homes in Temple City have a front door, a detached rear garage, and an ADU-style rear unit. We rekey all of them to the same key so you’re not carrying three separate keys. We can also set up a master key system if the household wants the main house and ADU keyed separately with an owner key that opens everything. Just tell us which configuration you want, and we’ll quote a flat per-lock price. Call (855) 791-2710 to discuss your exact setup.
Rarely. We carry the tools and rekey stock to open most Temple City locks non-destructively, including original mortise locks from the 1940s and 1950s. Drilling is a last resort. If your door is out of square and the bolt is jammed, we work the door and lock together to release the binding before we touch a drill bit. If drilling is genuinely necessary, we’ll tell you why before we do it. Call (855) 791-2710 and we’ll get you back inside with minimal damage to your original hardware.
Yes, in most cases. Smart locks install into standard door preps, which most Temple City homes have. The challenge is the door itself. If your 1954 stucco home’s door is out of square, a smart lock’s motorized bolt will bind and drain its battery. We don’t just mount the smart lock and walk away. We check the door alignment, adjust the strike plate if needed, and integrate the smart lock with your existing keyed hardware so the physical key and the smart function both work. Call (855) 791-2710 and we’ll assess your door.
We dispatch from the Glendale area and typically reach most of Temple City within 25 – 40 minutes depending on traffic on the 10 or surface routes like Rosemead Boulevard and Las Tunas Drive. Night calls tend to be faster. When you call, we’ll give you a realistic arrival window, not an optimistic one. Call (855) 791-2710 and we’ll tell you exactly when we’ll be there.
Written by Noel Tarkanian, Owner at Glendale Lock & Key, serving Temple City and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley.