Non-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.
Fast, Reliable Commercial Locksmith Across Burbank
Commercial locksmith work in Burbank runs about $180-$650 depending on whether you need a simple rekey or a full master key system, and our crews typically schedule same-day or next-day appointments for businesses in the city. We dispatch from our Los Angeles office and coordinate service throughout Burbank, from the studio-adjacent corridors along Pass Avenue and Olive Avenue to the older commercial strips in Magnolia Park and the Rancho district. Call (213) 632-4875 and a live person will answer - no voicemail queue - to quote a firm price in writing before we send anyone to your location.
Why Novak Lock & Security Los Angeles Is Burbank’s Preferred Commercial Locksmith Company
We’ve worked on enough Burbank buildings to know which ones have original mortise lock bodies from the 1950s and which have been retrofitted with modern preps. That matters because a technician who treats a Magnolia Park storefront like new construction will either split the door stile forcing in a deadbolt or quote you hardware you don’t need. Our Commercial Locksmith team documents every visit with a photo record left with you at completion, and every technician is background-checked, uniformed, and working to The Haven Standard.
Our pricing rule is Haven Standard Clause 1: the price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. Since 2002, that price has been delivered in writing before any work starts, with no exceptions. The technician is contractually prohibited from changing it at the door. We’ve installed or serviced over 60,000 locks, keys, and systems under that rule.
Calls are answered by a live person 24/7. For Burbank commercial calls, we schedule a survey, deliver a written scope, and quote flat per-lock pricing. No call-out surcharge gets added when we arrive.
Our Commercial Locksmith Services in Burbank
Commercial Lockout Service
We open commercial doors without drilling whenever the hardware allows. In Burbank, that means understanding summer-swollen frames: triple-digit July and August heat expands the wood jambs on older buildings, jamming deadbolt throws and generating a wave of lockout calls. A tech who reaches for a drill on a swollen frame destroys a good cylinder. We use non-destructive entry methods first, document the condition of your lock and frame, and report what we found - not what we felt about it.
Master Key System Design and Installation
Burbank’s commercial locksmith work runs on Hollywood’s project calendar. When a production wraps at one of the small post-production houses or talent agencies along Pass Avenue and Olive Avenue, the building’s exterior cylinders and interior suite locks get rekeyed on a recurring, schedulable cycle, because the departing production’s cast and crew still hold keys. That wrap-driven rekey cadence is largely absent from neighboring Glendale or North Hollywood, where commercial rekeys track tenant turnover instead. We design master key systems that let facility managers issue one key per tenant and retire it at wrap, without replacing sound mortise lock bodies.
We got a call from a post-production shop on Olive Avenue after a series wrapped - the office manager had a coffee can of keys floating around and no idea who still had copies. We rekeyed their Schlage pin and tumbler cylinders and rebuilt the suite entry into an ANSI Grade 1 master key system with proper key control, so the facility manager could issue one key per tenant and retire it at wrap. The whole job was done without replacing the existing mortise lock bodies, since the hardware was sound and only the cylinders needed attention.
High Security Locks
Production and post-production facilities in Burbank handle valuable intellectual property, raw footage, and expensive equipment. We install high-security cylinders - locks that cannot be picked or bumped by standard tools - from Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Abloy, as well as Schlage Primus and Yale high-security product lines. Every installation includes a written key control register and a documented photo record. Factory-authorized work means your warranty is valid and your key blanks are restricted.
Panic Bar Installation and Repair
Burbank’s older commercial buildings, particularly the post-WWII conversions in the flatlands, often have single-exit storefronts that need panic hardware to meet current fire code. We survey the door prep, the frame condition, and the occupancy load, then quote a flat installed price for Von Duprin, Precision, or Detex hardware. If the original mortise lock body is sound, we integrate the panic bar to it rather than forcing a full replacement.
Access Control Systems
The dozens of small production companies, talent agencies, and post-production houses on Pass Avenue and Olive Avenue have no internal security department. They rely on outside locksmiths for card access, keypad entry, and audit-trail systems. We install and service standalone and networked access control, integrated with existing master key systems where appropriate. Every scope is written, every price is flat, and every installation is backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
File Cabinet and Desk Lock Service
Production offices accumulate sensitive documents: contracts, talent agreements, unreleased scripts. We rekey, replace, or master-key file cabinet locks from all major manufacturers, including obsolete formats no longer in production. If we can’t source the original, we retrofit with modern hardware that fits the existing prep.
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 stock cylinders, key blanks, and hardware for Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Yale, among others, at our Los Angeles coordination office. That inventory means faster turnaround for Burbank businesses - a rekey that might take three days if parts are ordered takes one day if we have the cylinder in stock. For high-security installations, we maintain factory-authorized status with Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Abloy, which means restricted key blanks, valid warranties, and key control that actually controls keys. We don’t decorate our vans with brand logos we can’t back up.
Common Commercial Locksmith Problems We See in Burbank
- Summer frame swelling jams deadbolts. Burbank sits in the eastern San Fernando Valley and regularly logs some of the highest temperatures in the greater LA basin. Triple-digit days in July and August cause wood door frames in older commercial buildings to expand, jamming deadbolt throws and generating a predictable spike in “my lock won’t turn” calls. The fix is usually adjustment, not replacement, but a tech who doesn’t recognize the pattern reaches for a drill.
- Original mortise locks on Magnolia Park and Rancho district storefronts. These post-WWII commercial conversions still have mortise lock bodies and obsolete Kwikset cylinders that don’t accept a modern deadbolt without door prep. Techs who force a drop-in replacement split the stile. We assess whether the body is sound - often it is - and rebuild with modern cylinders that fit the existing prep.
- Wrap-cycle key chaos at studio-adjacent facilities. When a production wraps, keys scatter. The facility manager inherits a coffee can of unlabeled copies and no key control. We rebuild these into master key systems with proper key registers, so the next production starts with clean key accountability.
- Dry-season frame shrinkage creates security gaps. Santa Ana wind events in fall and winter cause the same wood frames that swelled in summer to shrink and gap. Doors that latched securely in August no longer catch in November. We adjust strikes, reposition latches, and report the seasonal pattern so you know what to expect.
Pricing for Commercial Locksmith in Burbank, CA
Here’s what commercial locksmith work typically runs in the Burbank market, quoted in writing before we start:
| Service | Typical Range in Burbank |
|---|---|
| Commercial lockout (non-destructive entry) | $180-$280 |
| Standard rekey per cylinder | $28-$48 |
| Master key system design (initial setup) | $320-$650 |
| High-security cylinder installation | $180-$340 per cylinder |
| Panic bar installation (new) | $380-$720 |
| Access control reader installation | $420-$1,200 per door |
| File cabinet lock rekey or replace | $45-$95 |
What moves the price: the grade of existing hardware, whether the door prep accepts modern hardware without modification, and whether we’re working with restricted high-security keyways that require factory authorization. We do not add a call-out surcharge. The price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice - Haven Standard Clause 1, in effect since 2002. Bring us a competitor’s written estimate and we’ll review it at no charge.
We Also Serve Cities Near Burbank
Our Commercial Locksmith in Burbank coverage extends to North Hollywood, Studio City, Van Nuys, and West Hollywood. Each market has its own building stock and its own locksmith patterns - North Hollywood’s mid-century apartment corridors, Studio City’s hillside commercial, Van Nuys’s industrial pockets, West Hollywood’s dense retail - and we price and scope accordingly. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our Los Angeles office; crews serve all five cities locally.
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 - Commercial Locksmith in Burbank
We rekey all exterior and interior suite cylinders, build or rebuild a master key system with proper key control, and register every issued key to a named holder. The existing mortise lock bodies stay if they’re sound; we replace only what needs replacing. Call (213) 632-4875 for a written scope and flat per-lock price - estimates are free.
Most original mortise lock bodies in Burbank’s post-WWII commercial buildings are sound cast brass that will outlast modern equivalents. We can usually fit a modern cylinder to the existing body, rekey it to current standards, and preserve the hardware. Replacement is only necessary if the body is cracked, the bolt is worn, or the prep won’t accept a compatible cylinder. We’ll show you the condition and quote both options in writing.
Burbank’s triple-digit summer heat expands wood door frames, binding deadbolt throws against the strike plate. It’s a seasonal pattern we see across the flatlands, particularly in buildings from the 1940s through 1960s. Adjustment, not replacement, usually fixes it. We also check for frame damage from previous techs who drilled instead of adjusting.
Yes. We are factory-authorized for Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Abloy high-security cylinders, and we stock Schlage Primus and Yale high-security product lines. Every installation includes restricted key blanks, a written key control register, and the documented photo record required by The Haven Standard. Call (213) 632-4875 to schedule a security survey.
We use non-destructive entry methods first on every commercial lockout. Drilling is only necessary when the cylinder has failed internally or when non-destructive methods have been exhausted. We document the lock condition before we start and explain why drilling is or isn’t needed. The price quoted on the phone covers either path - no surprise add-on if drilling becomes necessary.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Burbank and the greater Los Angeles area since 2002.