Lock Rekeying in Reno, NV

Why Reno homes get rekeyed

Rekeying changes the inside of a lock so a new key works and the old ones stop, while the lock stays on the door. In Reno it usually follows a change of hands: a purchase, a new tenant or a unit turned over by a landlord. In Washoe County, home to Reno and Sparks, the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey puts the median home at 1991, with about 35 percent built before 1980.

Damonte Ranch is a 1,962-acre master-planned community of single- and multi-family homes in southern Reno. After a move there, list every keyed opening before you ask: front door, garage door and any side gate.

City and state rules that touch rekeying

Chapter 14.05 of Reno's Municipal Code was amended on July 22, 2026 to adopt the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments; confirm the effective date with the city. Amended Section 304.15 requires a deadbolt lock at every dwelling-unit and sleeping-unit entrance. A rekey changes keys, not hardware, so it will not add a deadbolt to a door that lacks one; that is a lock replacement question.

For tenants, NRS 118A.345 lets a tenant, cotenant or household member require a new lock at their own cost, once the tenant has given written notice ending the lease under that section for domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking. The landlord may rekey a working lock or replace it with one of equal or better quality, may keep a key, and must refuse one to the adverse party.

Large complexes are different. NRS 118A.332 requires an on-site log of each key issued and returned, and in a county the size of Washoe it applies to landlords with more than 50 units on one parcel. Before you change a lock in such a complex, ask the property manager. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to list in a rekey request

• The number of locks and which doors
• Whether they should share one key
• The brand on the lock, or a photo of its face
• Whether you own or rent, and whether the landlord has approved the change

See lock rekeying for the service and the Reno page for the city's housing.