Why a spare house key matters more than most people think
Almost every lockout call a locksmith takes could have been avoided by one extra key kept in the right place. Key duplication is the quietest, least dramatic thing we do, and it prevents more bad evenings than any other service. A spare house key in a trusted person's hands, a second deadbolt key for a partner or teenager, a mailbox key that does not live on the one ring you always misplace: these are small things that save a lot of trouble.
West Hills is almost entirely residential, built out mainly with single-story ranch tracts from the 1950s through the 1970s. Detached homes mean more doors per household than an apartment would have: a front door, often a separate deadbolt, a garage entry door, a side gate, sometimes a back slider or a shed. Each of those can have its own key, and over decades the keys multiply, get lost, get lent to a contractor and never come back. Many families we talk to have a drawer of keys nobody can identify. Duplication is how you bring order to that, with a clean, accurate set you actually know the purpose of.
This page explains what we copy, how we do it, what to bring, what changes the cost, and where duplication stops being the right answer. If a key is lost rather than just needing a spare, or if you are unsure who has copies of your keys, we will tell you honestly that a different service fits better.
How does key duplication work at Wilshire Lock & Key?
A good copy is not just metal that looks like the original. The cuts have to match depth and spacing closely enough that the pins inside your lock rise to the right height every time, in every weather, without you jiggling the key. A copy that works on the bench but sticks in a real door is a bad copy. The process below is how we avoid that.
- Identify the key. We look at the blank type, the keyway, and the brand stamped on the head, because a key that looks right but is the wrong blank will never cut true.
- Check the original's condition. If your key is worn smooth, bent, or itself a copy of a copy, we say so before cutting. Duplicating a worn key passes the wear on to the new one.
- Cut the new key to the original's pattern on proper equipment, using a fresh blank of the correct type.
- Deburr and clean the new key so there are no rough edges that catch inside the lock or chew up the pins over time.
- Test it. Where we can, we test the copy in a real lock of the same type, and we ask you to try it in your own door when we are on site, so you know it turns before we leave.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What kinds of keys can we copy?
Most keys people bring us fall into a handful of familiar categories. Here is what we handle and where the limits sit.
- House key copy: standard entry keys for front doors, back doors and garage entry doors, including a spare house key for a family member, neighbor or house sitter.
- Duplicate deadbolt key: deadbolts are often keyed separately from the knob or handle set, so we check which lock each key actually operates and label the copies.
- Apartment key copy: for tenants and property managers, where the lock's rules and the building's policies matter as much as the cutting.
- Office key duplication and commercial key duplication: suite doors, storage rooms, file cabinets, and shared-access doors, with extra care when the keys belong to a larger system.
- Mailbox key duplication: small, easy to lose, and often copyable. Some cluster boxes have specific rules, which we cover below.
- High security key duplication: keys for upgraded cylinders, which usually involve tighter tolerances and sometimes ownership authorization.
- Restricted key duplication: keys on controlled keyways that cannot be copied freely, and for good reason.
What about high security and restricted keys?
This is where honesty matters. Some keys are deliberately hard to copy. A restricted keyway means the manufacturer controls who can obtain blanks, and usually ties copies to a card, a registration record or a verified owner. If your key is stamped with words like do not duplicate, that is a request, not a law, but it often signals a restricted system. We will not cut a restricted key without proper authorization, and a locksmith who copies one on the spot with no questions is a reason to be cautious about your own security.
For high security cylinders, the situation varies. Some can be copied from the key you hold, but the blanks and the cutting are more exacting. Others need an authorization card, a proof of ownership, or an order through the manufacturer. We confirm this by looking at the key itself, so we do not promise anything over the phone that we cannot deliver at the counter. If you want to move to a controlled system, our high security locks service is the right starting point, because the control over who can copy keys comes from the cylinder you choose.
If your goal is to stop unknown copies of an old key from working, copying is the wrong tool. A lock rekey changes the lock so that previous keys stop working, and then new keys are cut for the new pattern. That is a sibling service, and we are happy to explain the difference when you call.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What affects the cost of key duplication?
We do not quote numbers on a web page because the honest answer depends on what you hand us. What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the cost up or down, so there are no surprises.
The key type matters first. A common house key on a widely available blank is the simplest and usually the more economical route. A high security or restricted key involves specialty blanks, tighter cutting work, and sometimes authorization steps, so it costs more time and materials. The number of copies matters, since cutting several at once is more efficient than coming back repeatedly. The condition of the original matters too: a clean original makes a clean copy, while a worn one may need extra checking or may not be worth copying at all.
Where the work happens is the other big factor. Bringing the key to our storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood is usually the lighter-cost option for a single plain key, because there is no travel involved. West Hills is about 23 miles from our base, so for a plain spare, a trip to the shop can make sense if you are passing through. For anything awkward, or when you simply cannot leave, our mobile service brings the work to you, and travel and time of day become part of the cost. We will explain which parts of the cost apply before we start, and you decide whether to go ahead.
Mobile key duplication: when we come to you
Plenty of people in West Hills would rather not drive across the city for one key. Our mobile locksmith service exists for exactly that, and it also covers situations where the key cannot leave the building: a lock that is still installed, a gate that needs a key matched to it, or an office where the manager cannot step away.
Mobile work makes the most sense when we need to see the lock as well as the key. If a key has been mixed up with others, standing at the door lets us match the right key to the right lock, rather than guessing. It also lets you test each copy in the actual hardware before we leave, which is the best test there is.
Not every key can be cut at the door, and we would rather say so than overpromise. When you call, tell us the brand stamped on the key, what door it belongs to, and whether it is marked as restricted. We will be direct about whether the job can be done at your location or is better handled at the Westwood shop. The call is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays, at (213) 577-1366, so you can ask at any hour.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Key duplication around West Hills: neighborhoods, ZIP codes and typical situations
West Hills spans the 91307 and 91304 ZIP codes, and the day-to-day key situations differ a little from one part of it to the next, mostly because of the age and size of the homes.
In the 1960s ranch tracts off the Valley Circle Boulevard corridor, we often see original hardware that has been in place for decades. The keys that go with it are frequently worn from years of use, and many have been copied from copies. Those homeowners usually do best by letting us look at the key first. A worn original can produce a copy that jams, so sometimes the better advice is to rekey and cut fresh keys rather than reproduce a tired pattern. Once the lock is in good shape, additional copies are straightforward.
Closer to the Fallbrook Center area and the Platt Village area, a lot of our key requests come from the ordinary logistics of busy households: a spare for a grandparent, an extra for a nanny, a set for a rental room or for a contractor working on a remodel. If you are running errands in those areas, we can often tell you in a quick call whether to bring the key to the shop or have us come to you.
Around the Shadow Ranch Park area and the Orcutt Ranch area, and out toward the hillside edge near El Escorpion Park and Castle Peak, lots grow larger and more private. That often means more locks per property. A key to the front door is only the start; there may be a side-gate lock, a garage entry door and an outbuilding, all on different keys. Larger-lot properties are where a systematic duplication job pays off: we identify each key, copy what is needed, and label the set so nobody has to guess later. If a gate lock itself is failing rather than the key, our gate lock repair page covers that separately.
For people working near the UCLA West Valley Medical Center campus, office and suite keys are the usual request. Commercial key duplication has an extra layer: who is allowed to hold copies. If your suite is part of a larger key system, ask your building or property manager before ordering extras. If you are building your own system with tiers of access, a master key system is a better foundation than a pile of loose copies.
Climate plays a small role here too. Summers run hot in this far-west corner of the Valley, and homes on the western hillside edge take sun and wind off the open space. Heat can make wood doors and south- or west-facing entries expand, which changes alignment. A key that feels stiff in August is sometimes blamed on a bad copy when the real issue is the door pressing the bolt against the strike. We check this before we blame the key, because cutting a second copy will not fix a door that has moved.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Smart locks, mailboxes and vehicle keys: where duplication ends
It helps to know the edges of this service so you do not waste a trip. Keys that open a conventional mechanical lock are what duplication covers. Several nearby topics are different jobs.
If your home now has a keypad or app-controlled deadbolt, it may still have a backup keyway, and we can copy that key. But the electronic part is a separate matter, and our smart lock installation page explains how those work and how they are set up.
For mailboxes, we can often duplicate the key if the lock is a standard type. When the key is lost entirely, or the lock is part of a shared cluster that the postal service or the property manager controls, a copy may not be the answer and the lock itself may need to be replaced. Our mailbox lock replacement page covers that case.
Vehicle keys are not a simple copy. Modern car keys may include electronics, and what is possible depends on the exact make, model and year. We do not guess: we confirm by VIN and in person what your car needs, and if a particular vehicle can only be handled by the dealer, we tell you honestly so you do not pay for a trip that goes nowhere. Our car key replacement service is where those jobs are handled.
Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for duplicate keys
We have been in business since 1987, and the cutting counter is the oldest part of a locksmith's work. We serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, but we are not a call center. We are one company with a real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and mobile service vans, so the person who answers your question works for the same business that does the job. There are no dispatch middlemen passing your call along to whoever is closest.
David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work. That matters for something like key duplication, where small details decide whether a copy is good: whether the blank is right, whether a worn key should be copied or replaced, whether a restricted key should be cut at all. Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, so a question about a key does not have to wait for business hours.
One more thing worth knowing: California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and you should ask any locksmith for it before they work on your locks or keys. That is a fair question to put to us, too, and a reputable company will not mind being asked. Call (213) 577-1366 or use our contact page if you would like to talk through what you have before you bring it in.
Frequently asked questions
Can you copy a key that says do not duplicate?
It depends on the key. That stamp is often a manufacturer's request rather than a technical barrier, but it frequently signals a restricted or controlled system. We look at the key and the keyway first. If it is genuinely restricted, we need proper authorization before we cut anything, and we will explain what that involves.
What should I bring for a house key copy?
Bring the key you want copied, ideally the original and not a copy of a copy. If you have several similar keys, tell us which door each opens. If it is a deadbolt key, mention that, since deadbolts are often keyed differently from the knob or handle.
Is a copy of a worn key reliable?
Not always. A copy is only as accurate as the key it is made from, so wear passes on to the new key. If your original is worn, we will say so before cutting. Sometimes the better answer is rekeying the lock and cutting fresh keys to a clean pattern.
Can you make duplicate keys at my West Hills home?
Often, yes, through our mobile service. Whether it can be done at your door depends on the key type. Tell us the brand on the key and what it opens when you call (213) 577-1366, and we will tell you plainly whether we can do it on site or whether it needs our Westwood shop.
Can you duplicate a mailbox key?
Frequently, when it is a standard mailbox lock and you have a key to copy. If the key is lost, or the box is part of a shared cluster controlled by the property manager or the postal service, a copy may not be possible and the lock may need replacement instead.
Will a copied key stop an old key from working?
No. Copying simply adds another working key. If you want previous keys, such as ones held by an ex-roommate, a former contractor or someone who moved out, to stop working, you need the lock rekeyed or changed, which is a different service.
How do I get a copy of a high security key?
We start by examining your key. Some high security keys can be copied with the right blank and precise cutting, while others require an authorization card, proof of ownership, or a manufacturer order. We confirm which applies to your key before promising anything.
Can you copy office keys for a business near the medical center?
Yes, for keys we can legally and technically copy. For commercial key duplication, we ask who is authorized to hold copies, particularly if the key is part of a building's larger system. If your suite is under a property manager's key control, check with them first.
Can you copy my car key too?
Vehicle keys are handled differently from house keys. What is possible depends on the make, model and year, and we confirm by VIN and in person. If a vehicle can only be handled by the dealer, we tell you honestly rather than charge you for a job we cannot finish.
Is the key duplication service available at night?
Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round at (213) 577-1366. If you call late, we will tell you whether your request is something we can handle on site or whether the shop is the better option.
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Key Duplication near West Hills
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.