Denver guide
Is this locksmith quote fair?
Break the number apart. Trip, labor, parts: each has a published range to compare against. And a fair quote has one more property, which is that it arrives as a single total before the work and matches the bill afterward.
Single company per request, named on the call, priced up front. Search that name with the Secretary of State · Who pays us
The pieces of a quote
- Getting there. Fixr shows $25 to $100 for a trip charge, or $100 to $200 where it's billed as a service-call minimum.
- The work. Thumbtack has labor at $57 to $87 an hour, though residential jobs are almost always flat-rate.
- Hardware. Cylinder, deadbolt, key blank, fob.
Distance is the line that varies most in metro Denver. A shop in Lakewood heading to Green Valley Ranch has a longer drive than one heading to Belmar, and the trip charge should reflect that honestly, inside the total.
| What you need done | Survey says | Who published it |
|---|---|---|
| Opening a locked house | $50 to $175 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Opening a locked house | $169 to $205 | This Old House (Mar. 2026) |
| Opening a locked car | $80 to $150 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Any mobile car locksmith job | $117 to $259 Can reach $456 at night | Thumbtack (Aug. 2026) |
| Rekeying existing locks | $70 to $160 a visit Each added cylinder about $20 to $30 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Rekeying existing locks | $191 to $225 Roughly $18 a keyhole | Thumbtack (Oct. 2026) |
| Replacing locks | $150 to $550 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Installing a new lock | $203 to $240 | Thumbtack (Oct. 2026) |
| Smart lock, parts and labor | Lock $50 to $350, install around $50 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Smart lock, parts and labor | Lock $144 to $226, install $106 to $291 | This Old House (Mar. 2026) |
| New car key | $70 to $250 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Chip (transponder) key | $125 to $250 Includes the part and programming | Kelley Blue Book (Jul. 2025) |
| Flip key | $150 to $300 | Kelley Blue Book (Jul. 2025) |
| Push-button start key | $200 to $400 | Kelley Blue Book (Jul. 2025) |
| Programming a fob or chip key | $50 to $200 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Call-out charge | $25 to $100 for the trip, or a $100 to $200 service-call minimum | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Night or holiday premium | $150 to $250 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Copy of a house key | $10 to $25 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| New mailbox lock | $75 to $200 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Opening a safe without drilling | $140 to $200 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
| Drilling a safe open | Fire safe $200 to $250, money safe $350 to $450 | Fixr (Jan. 2025) |
Lines that shouldn't be on the invoice
- Drilling on an ordinary lock, when nobody told you drilling was coming.
- A brand-new lock after a simple lockout you never asked to replace.
- "Mileage" stacked on top of a trip charge.
- No company name anywhere on the paper.
What Denver callers ask about this
Is $250 for a car key fair?
For a chip key or a smart key, it can be. Kelley Blue Book has a transponder key at $125 to $250 and a push-button start key at $200 to $400. For only opening a locked car, $250 is steep.