Why Augusta doors get rekeyed

Just over half of Augusta households rent (50.3 percent in 2024 Census estimates), so many front doors change hands with each lease, and each move-out can leave spare keys with a roommate, contractor or relative. Rekeying resets the pins inside the cylinder so those keys stop working, and the lock itself stays on the door.

Buyers face the same problem from the other side. A house bought in Harrisburg–West End, near the Augusta Canal, or in Sand Hills, near Monte Sano Avenue and Johns Road, may come with keys that sellers, agents and repair crews carried for years. Landlords rekey between tenants too, and after an eviction, which Augusta's Marshal's Office handles.

What Georgia's handbook says about tenants

The Department of Community Affairs' Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook, revised in August 2024, says leases typically require the landlord's permission before a tenant changes locks. If the lease is silent, a tenant may change them but must give the landlord the new keys at move-out. Rekeying alters which keys work, so treat it like a lock change: ask first and keep the answer in writing.

The handbook adds that handing keys back early does not by itself end rent owed through the term, unless the lease says otherwise.

A tenant protected by a family violence or stalking order can end a lease under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-23 30 days after written notice to the landlord with a copy of the order. Neither the statute nor the handbook adds a separate right to change locks, so ask the landlord about new keys. This is general information, not legal advice.

Older cylinders in older houses

Some doors from before 1960 hold mortise locks, and their cylinders can often be rekeyed like any other, which keeps a sound original lock in service. Where a door counts as a protected exterior feature of a local historic district, rekeying also leaves the door itself unchanged.

Before you request a rekey

How many exterior doors, garage and side entries included, and whether all should share one key.
A photo of each cylinder face and any brand name on it.
For renters, the landlord's written approval.

The lock rekeying page describes the service, lock replacement covers a cylinder too worn to rekey, and Augusta is the city page.

At the door

What lock rekeying covers

Changing the pins inside your existing locks so old keys stop working, without replacing the hardware.

An inspection of each lock to confirm it can be rekeyed
Re-pinning each cylinder to work with a new key
New keys cut for the rekeyed locks

ID and proof you may access the property are checked before any work.

Lock Rekeying in Georgia

Sources

Public records and references this page draws on. They are outside USA Locksmith Pros and open in a new tab.

Lock Rekeying in Augusta, GA