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
If you’re locked out of your apartment, condo, or house in Burbank, a Greystone Locksmith tech can usually reach you within 30 to 45 minutes. We handle non-destructive entry, broken key extraction, and lock rekeying across every Burbank ZIP code – 91521, 91522, 91523, and 91526. Led by Gil Tanner, our team works on the lock in front of us, not just the brands we prefer, whether that’s a 1920s mortise lock in Magnolia Park or a restricted keyway on an apartment court off Alameda. Call (866) 497-9415 and we’ll walk you through the job before anyone gets in a van.
Key takeaways:
- Response to most Burbank neighborhoods in 30 – 45 minutes, day or night.
- We verify tenant or owner status before any entry on multi-tenant buildings.
- Non-destructive picking is our default – drilling is a last resort.
- Full price quoted on the phone before dispatch, with no arrival surcharge.
Why Greystone Locksmith Is Burbank’s Preferred Emergency Locksmith Company
Burbank isn’t a town of one housing type. A locksmith here juggles 1920s California bungalows, mid-century apartment courts near the airport, and modern condos downtown. That mix matters when a lock fails at midnight. A tech who only knows modern deadbolts will stare at a pre-war mortise lock and reach for the drill. We don’t. Our Emergency Locksmith team carries tools and parts for oval-cylinder mortise locksets, narrow-backset doors, single-cylinder deadbolts, and newer smart-lock retrofits, because Burbank buildings demand all of it.
Local knowledge changes the job in real ways. In the Burbank Hills and Rancho Equestrian neighborhoods, gate locks and tack-room padlocks are as routine a call as a front-door lockout. Around downtown and the airport, dense apartment courts mean restricted keyways and master-key systems. We know what we’re walking into. That’s why Burbank property managers and tenants call us back, and it’s why we treat every door as if the person behind it has somewhere to be. Gil Tanner built the company on that standard.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Emergency Locksmith Services in Burbank
24/7 Emergency Lockout
Locked out of your Burbank apartment at 1 a.m. or your house in the Burbank Hills on a Sunday afternoon? We’re response-ready. A typical lockout in Burbank runs $95 – $165 for standard residential entry during regular hours, with late-night calls starting around $150. We pick, don’t drill, whenever possible. That protects your deposit if you rent and preserves the original hardware if you own a pre-war bungalow.
Lock Picking
Non-destructive entry is the skill that separates a real locksmith from a drill-happy dispatcher. On Burbank’s older homes, a well-picked mortise lock can keep working for years. On apartment courts near Alameda Avenue with restricted keyways, picking is essential – drilling one of those means rekeying the entire building. We carry picks, tension wrenches, and the brand knowledge to know which works on a Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, or Abloy cylinder before we touch it.
Broken Key Extraction
Burbank’s dry summers and hard water don’t just crack soil – they dry out lock lubricant and make keys brittle. When a key snaps off in a deadbolt, the job is extraction, not replacement. We use spiral and hook extractors to pull the broken piece without damaging the cylinder. A typical broken key extraction in Burbank runs $85 – $140. If the cylinder was already failing, we’ll tell you straight whether a rekey or replacement is the smarter move.
Eviction Lock Change
Property managers and landlords across Burbank call us for same-week turnovers, especially around production schedules. The studio-adjacent rental market near downtown means units turn over fast, and a lock change can’t wait three days. We handle eviction lock changes for $75 – $120 per cylinder, plus the cost of hardware if you need it. We verify authorization before we touch any door, and we rekey to a fresh key so the previous tenant’s copies mean nothing.
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 carry parts and cylinders for Schlage, Kwikset, and Medeco on the truck, which means a Burbank lockout doesn’t turn into a “we’ll order it and come back” situation. High-security hardware like Medeco and Abloy requires a locksmith who knows it cold – that’s us. Whether it’s a Baldwin mortise on a Spanish-revival in Magnolia Park or a Mul-T-Lock restricted keyway on an apartment building near the airport, we work on the lock in front of us. Rekeying is often the smarter move – we’ll tell you which is right for your situation.
Common Emergency Locksmith Problems We See in Burbank Homes
- Dried-out mortise locks on pre-war bungalows: Burbank’s hot, dry San Fernando Valley summers wick moisture out of old locks, leaving them stiff and prone to key snaps. In neighborhoods like Magnolia Park and the hills above Olive, we regularly see original 1920s and 1930s mortise locksets that haven’t been lubricated in years. A stuck mortise lock at midnight is one of our most common Burbank calls.
- Misaligned strike plates from Santa Ana wind events: Those seasonal winds don’t just buffet trees – they work doors against their frames, shifting strike plates a millimeter or two. That millimeter is the difference between a deadbolt that throws and one that doesn’t. On Burbank’s east-valley tract homes with wood siding, this shows up as a lock that works fine until the door swells or the wind pushes it.
- Restricted keyway confusion on apartment courts: Dense multifamily buildings near downtown and the airport often use restricted keyways – you can’t just copy a key at the hardware store. When a tech doesn’t recognize that and drills the cylinder, the entire building has to be rekeyed. We verify tenant status before any non-destructive entry on these jobs, because one copied key can compromise a whole complex.
- Smart-lock retrofits on narrow-backset doors: Burbank’s older apartment stock has a lot of narrow-backset doors, the kind built for slim mortise locks from the 1940s and 1950s. When a landlord or owner installs a modern smart lock without accounting for that backset, it binds or fails. We see this constantly in the Rancho Equestrian area and the hills, where homes are older but owners want keypad entry.
Pricing for Emergency Locksmith in Burbank, CA
Burbank’s market is not Los Angeles pricing, but it’s close. Here’s what you should expect to pay, honestly:
- Standard house or apartment lockout (regular hours): $95 – $165
- Late-night lockout (after hours): $150 – $220
- Broken key extraction: $85 – $140
- Rekey after a lockout or turnover: $65 – $95 per cylinder
- Eviction lock change: $75 – $120 per cylinder, plus hardware
- Safe opening (residential): $180 – $350 depending on the safe type
What changes the price is the lock. A standard Kwikset cylinder is a 10-minute job. A Medeco or Abloy restricted keyway on a Burbank apartment court takes longer and requires verification, which we handle before anyone arrives. The price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice. No arrival surcharge, no bait-and-switch. Call (866) 497-9415 for an exact quote – estimates are free.
We Also Serve Cities Near Burbank
Burbank sits at the valley’s edge, and our vans are in the area daily. If you’re in Burbank proper, we’re minutes away. We also run calls to Universal City, North Hollywood, Glendale, and Studio City. Same techs, same trucks, same non-destructive standard. If you’re on the border of Burbank and Glendale near the 5, don’t overthink it – call us and we’ll be straight about timing.
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
Yes – in most cases. Non-destructive picking is our default on standard pin and tumbler locks. A typical Burbank apartment lockout on a Kwikset or Schlage cylinder runs $95 – $165 during regular hours, and the lock remains intact. The exception is a restricted keyway or a high-security system, which we may need to verify before entry but still won’t drill unless it’s the only option. Call (866) 497-9415 and we’ll tell you what applies to your building.
If you’re the tenant, a lease, utility bill, or government ID matching the unit address works. If you’re the owner or a property manager, we’ll ask for a document proving ownership or management authority. On Burbank’s multi-tenant buildings with restricted keyways, this step is non-negotiable – we can’t hand entry to someone who doesn’t belong, and property owners rely on us to verify. The verification takes minutes and happens before we touch the door. For an exact protocol for your situation, call us at (866) 497-9415.
In most cases, yes. A broken key extraction in Burbank runs $85 – $140, and if the cylinder is healthy, that’s all you need. We use extractors to pull the broken piece cleanly, then test the lock. If the lock was already worn – common on older Burbank bungalows with original mortise hardware – we may recommend a rekey so the cylinder works smoothly again. Call (866) 497-9415 for a straight answer on your lock’s condition.
We do. Burbank’s production and industry-adjacent businesses lean on master-key systems, and a lockout at a studio office or retail space on Olive or Riverside can’t wait until morning. We verify authorization with the business owner or building manager, then pick or rekey as needed. Master-key work on commercial hardware, including Sargent and Medeco systems, is core to what we do. For a business lockout in Burbank, call (866) 497-9415 and we’ll get a tech en route.
Yes. Many Burbank lockouts we see are the final symptom of a lock that’s been failing for months – dried lubricant, a worn cylinder, a misaligned strike plate. We’ll pick you in, then offer to re-lubricate, tighten, or rekey the hardware on the spot so you don’t call us again in a week. The rekey adds $65 – $95 per cylinder to the lockout call. If the lock is beyond saving – rare, but it happens on pre-war mortise locks – we’ll show you why and quote a replacement before doing anything. Call (866) 497-9415 and mention the sticking when you call.
Call Greystone Locksmith for Emergency Service in Burbank
Locked out or locking down – Greystone handles both. If you’re stuck outside a Burbank apartment, house, or business right now, call (866) 497-9415. You’ll get a direct answer, a firm price, and a tech who knows the difference between a 1940s mortise lock on Magnolia Boulevard and a modern smart lock in the Burbank Hills. We quote the full price on the phone before dispatch, and that’s the price you pay. No games, no add-ons, no damage to a door you don’t own.
Written by Gil Tanner, Owner at Greystone Locksmith, serving Burbank and the San Fernando Valley with emergency, residential, and commercial locksmith service.