Locksmith Cost in Australia
Locksmith in Australia has a modelled range of $80–$350, with a midpoint estimate of $215. See your city for local modelling assumptions and available evidence.
Independent source review pending. See the evidence card for any actual verification date.
$80–$350
Midpoint estimate: $215 per job
Locksmith · Australia · Broad service estimate; confirm the job scope. Modelled estimate, not calculated from consumer submissions. GST treatment unknown; city, suburb and materials differences are assumptions rather than observed prices. Confirm scope and inclusions with the provider.
How this figure is put together
Estimate from our published model, labelled as such; method and city factors on the page.
Modelled estimate. City, suburb and materials factors are assumptions, not observed price differences. Confirm GST, units and inclusions with the provider.
GST treatment is unknown for this basis; confirm it with the provider.
No verified observation date for this model.
Existing guide assumptions; not a measured market sample or verified rate card.
How locksmith is priced in Australia
Specify a lockout visit, rekeying, replacement hardware or an automotive key. Confirm the attending business, call-out charge and how additional work will be authorised before booking.
Ask whether rekeying suits the existing hardware and obtain a separate replacement price if needed. Check security requirements against your own insurance policy and verify relevant licensing for the proposed work.
Estimate or verified?
Here locksmith prices on this page are modelled estimates using existing guide assumptions, without a reconciled source dataset. An observed range is published only when its numbers are computed from at least 10 eligible submissions with matching scope, tax and materials treatment. Quotes and paid invoices are kept separate. How we build estimates · Submit a price
Locksmith cost by city
Estimates by city, adjusted from the national range. Click your city for local detail and city-specific FAQ.
Locksmith by city
Modelled ranges, not observed prices. The spread between cities comes from a published city multiplier applied to the national range — it is an assumption about each market, not a measurement of it.
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Adelaide
Modelled estimate
See Adelaide estimate →
Toowoomba
Modelled estimate
See Toowoomba estimate →
Albury-Wodonga
Modelled estimate
See Albury-Wodonga estimate →
Perth
Modelled estimate
See Perth estimate →
Hobart
Modelled estimate
See Hobart estimate →
Gold Coast
Modelled estimate
See Gold Coast estimate →
Bendigo
Modelled estimate
See Bendigo estimate →
Ballarat
Modelled estimate
See Ballarat estimate →
Brisbane
Modelled estimate
See Brisbane estimate →
Townsville
Modelled estimate
See Townsville estimate →
Darwin
Modelled estimate
See Darwin estimate →
Melbourne
Modelled estimate
See Melbourne estimate →
Canberra
Modelled estimate
See Canberra estimate →
Mackay
Modelled estimate
See Mackay estimate →
Sydney
Modelled estimate
See Sydney estimate →
Common locksmith jobs and what they cost
National estimates (Sydney baseline). Each job has its own page with materials, GST and callout detail.
Price by type and size
National estimates. Actual prices vary by city, see your city above for local pricing.
Lockout (standard)
Lockout (after hrs)
Lock change
Lock rekey
Add-on pricing
| Add-on | Cost |
|---|---|
| Key cutting | $5–$15 |
| Window lock | $50–$100 |
| Safe opening | $150–$400 |
What drives price up
Confirm these inclusions
- Callout/assessment
- Standard manipulation
- Basic key cutting
Ask about separate charges
- Lock hardware
- High-security install
- After-hours
- Smart lock programming
Questions to ask a locksmith
Most overcharging hides in the scope, not the headline price. These pin down the deal before you commit; for items often charged separately, see Ask about separate charges. If a price changes after you agree, see your rights when a quote changes.
- 1
Is this a fixed quote or an estimate?
A quote is generally a fixed price for the scope described; an estimate is a guess that can change. Ask which one you are getting.
- 2
Can you put the full scope and the final price in writing before any work starts?
A written list gives both parties a scope to check before agreeing to the work.
- 3
If you find extra work on the day, will you stop and price it before doing it?
Agree that any variation is priced and approved before it starts, not added to the invoice afterwards.
- 4
How much deposit do you need, and when is the balance due?
Know what you pay up front and what triggers the final payment before you agree.
- 5
Is GST included in the price you have quoted?
Confirm whether the supplier is GST-registered and whether GST is included. Check the ATO for registration rules.
Three checks that take five minutes
Check the licence
For licensed trades, ask for the licence number and confirm it on your state's fair-trading or licensing site before you book. Requirements depend on the work and location; check the relevant regulator.
Confirm they're insured
Ask what insurance covers this work and check exclusions with the insurer. If an operator can't confirm it, that's a red flag.
Insist on a written quote
A fair quote itemises the scope, names what's excluded, and states whether GST is included. A written record makes the agreed scope easier to check.
Who is allowed to do locksmith in each state
Licensing is the first thing to check before comparing prices. An unlicensed quote for licensed work is not a quote you can use.
Licensing and permissions guidance
Locksmithing: checked sources
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| Location | Official source | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Security Licensing and Enforcement Directorate, NSW Police Force | A locksmith in NSW must hold a security licence — specifically a Class 2C Security Equipment Specialist licence, which authorises selling, installing, maintaining, repairing and servicing security equipment and expressly covers locksmithing. If the locksmith operates as a business, a separate Master Licence is also required, including for a one-person operation. Before you let anyone work on your locks you can look the licence up free on the SLED public register; licensed security businesses must display their Master licence number on premises, on vehicle signage and in advertising, and the individual must carry a photo licence card and produce it on request. Two carve-outs matter: vehicle locksmithing is exempt, and builders or handymen fitting basic locks in the course of building or maintenance work are exempt — but SLED states that exemption does not extend to locksmiths.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| VIC | Licensing and Regulation Division, Victoria Police | Victoria does not license ordinary locksmithing: no licence is required to rekey or replace locks, open a lockout, cut keys or fit a deadbolt, and no business licence is required for that work. Victoria licenses private security activities under the Private Security Act 2004, and the only activity close to locksmithing is security equipment installer — but Victoria Police's published list of security equipment covers camera and audio systems, recording systems, alarms and monitoring, safes and vaults, intrusion detectors, and electric, electro-mechanical, magnetic or biometric access control devices. Mechanical locks and deadbolts are not on that list. A locksmith who also fits safes or vaults, alarms, or electronic access control does need a licence for that part of the work, plus a private security business licence if they employ others, and you can check them on Victoria Police's register of licence, registration and permit holders. For plain lock work your protection is the consumer guarantees in the Australian Consumer Law, plus any voluntary industry accreditation the locksmith holds.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| QLD | Office of Fair Trading | Queensland is explicit that in most cases you need a licence to be a locksmith. The licence is a security provider licence in the class of security equipment installer, because the security equipment it controls expressly includes locks for commercial or residential areas. The exemptions are narrow — retail key cutting, and installing basic security items in a building during construction, repair or renovation — and the Office of Fair Trading states the exemption does not cover repairing, servicing, maintaining or replacing basic security items when the building is not under construction or renovation, so a tradesperson who removes and reinstalls a household door lock needs a licence. A separate security firm licence is required if the business supplies or subcontracts security work or supplies staff, though a sole trader doing all the work personally does not need one. You can check any licence free on the Office of Fair Trading's online register of licensed security employees and firms.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| WA | Police Licensing Services, Western Australia Police Force | Lock work is licensed in WA under a Security Installer licence. Class 1 authorises installing, maintaining and repairing safes, vaults and the locks prescribed by regulation — locks other than key-in-knob sets whose purpose is to prevent unauthorised entry and that are operated by a key, code, card or digital function — and WA Police require a Class 1 applicant to be a trade-qualified locksmith. Class 4 is narrower, authorising installation of those locks only, with no maintenance or repair. If the business advertises or supplies the services of installers, the company or sole trader must also hold a Security Agent licence, and an Agent licence alone does not permit doing the work. WA Police publish a current licence holder list of Security Agents you can check for the business name, agent name and licence number before letting someone work on your door.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| SA | Consumer and Business Services | South Australia does not license locksmiths: no licence is required to rekey or replace a lock, open a lockout, cut keys, or fit a deadbolt or restricted key system. SA licenses security agents under the Security and Investigation Industry Act 1995, and that definition is limited to protecting or guarding people or property, surveillance, crowd control, bodyguarding, supplying guards or guard dogs, and advising on, supplying, installing or maintaining security alarm or surveillance systems. Locks are not mentioned in any licence category, so there is no individual, employee or business security licence covering locksmithing and no register of locksmiths to check. A locksmith who also installs or maintains alarm or surveillance systems does need a security systems work licence for that part, verifiable on Consumer and Business Services' licence holder search; for lock work itself your protection is the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| TAS | Consumer Affairs Tasmania | Tasmania does not license locksmiths: no licence is required for rekeying, lock replacement, emergency lockout entry, key cutting, or fitting deadbolts and restricted key systems. Under the Security and Investigations Agents Act 2002 the licensed security activities are patrolling, protecting, watching or guarding property, screening people leaving property to prevent theft, acting as a bodyguard, and training in those activities — working on security equipment is not among them. The licence categories bear this out: crowd controller, security guarding, monitoring room operator, bodyguard, commercial agent and inquiry agent, with no locksmith or installer class. A locksmith will not appear on the licensed security agent search because none is required to be licensed, so your protection is the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees and any voluntary industry accreditation the locksmith holds.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| ACT | Access Canberra | Locksmith work is licensed in the ACT. Under the Security Industry Act 2003 a person carries on a security activity if, as part of a business or their employment, they install, maintain, monitor, repair or service security equipment, and security equipment includes equipment designed or adapted specifically to provide or enhance security or for the protection of property — which captures locks. The licence is a security employee licence, subclass 2E, and a business that employs or provides people to do this work needs a security master licence as well; a master licence alone does not let its holder do the work personally. The Act draws two limits precisely: you do not carry on a security activity merely by installing a lock as part of your occupation as a builder, or by cutting unrestricted keys — so cutting restricted keys does fall inside the scheme. Access Canberra publishes public registers for security employee and master licences, so you can check a licence number before letting anyone work on your door.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| NT | Director-General of Licensing | The Northern Territory does not license locksmiths: no licence is required to rekey or replace a lock, force an emergency entry, cut keys, or fit deadbolts or a restricted key system. The Private Security Act 1995 licenses only three kinds of security provider — a crowd controller, a security officer, meaning a person who for reward patrols or guards another person's property, and a security firm supplying those services for reward. Locksmithing falls outside all three, so neither an individual nor a firm licence applies and there is no NT register of locksmiths to check; the Act mentions locksmiths only as a group the Minister could ask to have reviewed for future declaration, and no such declaration appears in the current text. Your protection is the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees, so ask for a written quote and identification yourself rather than expecting a government licence card.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| Your location | Australian Business Licence and Information Service | Search the exact activity and location to find licensing, regulatory and council requirements. Follow through to the named authority and verify the provider separately. This lookup is not confirmation that a provider is licensed or a job is exempt.Official source checked 2026-10-14. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
This is not a complete register of requirements. Where a state-specific source has not been checked, use the government lookup. Qualified trade review is pending; no universal licence exemption is asserted.
Common mistakes
Booking without a charging basis
Confirm the attending business, attendance charge and approval process for extra work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I rekey or replace the lock?
Ask which option suits the existing hardware and security requirements, with a separate price for each appropriate option.
How long will a lockout visit take?
Ask for an arrival estimate and the proposed approach. A general price guide cannot guarantee response or opening time.
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