A good handyman can hang a shelf and swap a deadbolt without breaking a sweat. The trouble starts when a lock job needs more than a screwdriver. Here is the honest line between the two trades, and what crossing it the wrong way costs.
A handyman is a fine choice when the job is a clean swap and the door already works. Replacing a tired deadbolt with a new one of the same size, hanging a fresh entry set, or tightening a loose strike are all jobs a competent handyman handles. The lock comes in a box, the holes already exist, and the work is mechanical assembly more than locksmithing.
The savings are real when the scope matches the trade. If a tract home in Arvada needs a like-for-like deadbolt put on a door that closes square, paying a locksmith trip charge for that is overkill. The line to watch: the moment the door does not fit the lock, or the lock needs to be keyed to an existing key, you have left handyman territory. That distinction drives most of the regret we see.
You need a locksmith the moment the work touches the cylinder, the vehicle, the safe, or your security after a break-in. Rekeying re-pins an existing lock to a new key, and that takes a pinning kit, matched pin stock, and the practice to read a keyway. A handyman can replace a whole lock, but re-pinning the one you own is a trade skill, not a box swap. Our rekey and lock change work covers exactly this.
The list of locksmith-only jobs is longer than most homeowners expect. Cutting and programming a transponder car key, opening a jammed or combination-lost safe, installing high-security cylinders with controlled keyways, and fitting a master-key hierarchy for a business all sit firmly on the locksmith side. None of them come out of a hardware-store box, and a wrong attempt usually means paying twice. For the full picture of what a visit costs, see our Denver locksmith cost guide.
Cost is where the comparison gets clearer, because the cheap-per-hour handyman is only cheap when the job fits the trade. A locksmith deadbolt install in the Denver metro usually runs $100 to $250 with hardware included, and a full home rekey usually runs $150 to $300 for four to six cylinders. Those numbers buy you the right keying and a finished, tested door.
| Job | Right trade | Usual range |
|---|---|---|
| Like-for-like deadbolt swap | Handyman or locksmith | $100 to $250 installed |
| Rekey existing locks to one key | Locksmith | $150 to $300 (4 to 6 cylinders) |
| Home lockout (no key) | Locksmith | $65 to $200 standard; $150 to $300 after hours |
| Car key cut and programmed | Locksmith | $150 to $400 |
| Safe opening | Locksmith | $150 to $400 |
| Smart-lock install with door prep | Locksmith | $150 to $350 per door plus hardware |
| Break-in door security same-day | Locksmith | Varies; rekey plus reinforcement |
The trap is hiring the cheaper trade for the harder job. A handyman who tries to rekey by guesswork, or muscles a smart lock onto a door that needs mortising, often leaves you calling a locksmith anyway, now with parts to redo. Pay once for the right person. For a deeper look at rekey pricing, see our house rekey cost guide.
Lock work has consequences a shelf bracket does not. If a deadbolt is set shallow or a strike is misaligned, the door can be jimmied open, and that is a security failure you may not notice until someone finds it. A locksmith carrying liability insurance stands behind the install, and the work is their full-time trade, not a side task between drywall jobs.
Colorado raises the stakes here because it has no statewide locksmith license, so neither trade carries a state credential for this work. That makes insurance and a written quote the only real test of who you are trusting with your door. For anything security-critical, a break-in repair, a high-security upgrade, a rekey after losing keys, hire the person who carries coverage and documents the job. Our deadbolt upgrade guide covers what proper reinforcement looks like.
Run a quick test before you book anyone. If the job is putting a new lock from a box onto a door that already closes right, a handyman is fine and may be cheaper. If the job touches the cylinder, a car, a safe, your keys after a loss, or your security after a break-in, call a locksmith. That single question sorts almost every situation correctly.
When you are unsure, default to the locksmith for anything security-related, because the downside of a handyman getting a structural lock job wrong is far higher than the downside of overpaying slightly on a simple swap. A home in Lakewood with original mid-century hardware almost always benefits from a locksmith's eye, since aging cylinders and worn strikes hide problems a quick swap will not fix.
Almost never the right call. Rekeying means re-pinning the cylinder to a new key, which takes a pinning kit, the right pin stock, and practice. A handyman can swap a whole lock, but rekeying the existing hardware is locksmith work. A full home rekey usually runs $150 to $300 and keeps your existing knobs and finishes.
For a plain deadbolt install on a door that fits, a handyman may charge less per hour. But for rekeys, car keys, safes, or break-in repair, a handyman either cannot do it or does it twice. A deadbolt install runs $100 to $250 with a locksmith, and you get it done right the first time.
A locksmith, always. Car key cutting and fob programming need an immobilizer tool and the right transponder blank, and safe opening needs manipulation or precise drilling that a handyman is not equipped for. Auto work usually runs $75 to $200 for a lockout and $150 to $400 for a transponder key.
Locksmith first, then a handyman or carpenter if there is structural damage. A locksmith secures the door same-day, rekeys so the old keys are dead, and reinforces the strike and frame. If the door itself is destroyed, a carpenter rebuilds it, but the security side, the locks and rekey, is locksmith work.
It raises the stakes either way. Colorado has no statewide locksmith license, so neither trade carries a state credential for lock work. That makes insurance and a written quote the real test. For anything security-critical, hire someone who carries liability coverage and documents the job, whatever they call themselves.
Tell us what you are dealing with and we will tell you straight whether it is locksmith work or something a handyman can handle. No upsell on jobs we both know are simple.
Last updated: May 28, 2026.
