Christmas Light Installation Cost (2026): Permanent vs Seasonal, Per Foot, Itemized
What holiday lighting costs in 2026: permanent track by the foot with controllers, seasonal lights leased, bought or the customer's own, trees, bushes, wreaths and interior, the labor hours on every line, the payback math and the code.
The assumptions
This model assumes
- Priced per foot of roofline lit, not the house's square footage
- Seasonal lights leased and stored unless it says bought or the customer's
- Job cost before markup: labor, lights and controllers, no markup, tax or permit
- Prices from Clamp's catalog on November 4, 2026
The model, step by step
Permanent and seasonal holiday lighting priced through Clamp's catalog on November 4, 2026. Job cost before markup: labor, the lights and the controllers. A permanent system on 300 ft of a two-story roofline is $6,855 job cost before markup, a ballpark price range of $8,912 to $13,710.
| Job | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent, front 80 fta ballpark price range of $2,347 to $3,610 | $1,805 | 8.0 |
| Permanent, 150 ftA one-story house; $4,076 to $6,270 | $3,135 | 15.0 |
| Permanent, 300 ft two-storyTwo controllers; $8,912 to $13,710 | $6,855 | 39.0 |
| Seasonal, 150 ftLeased lights, takedown and storage; $988 to $1,520 a season | $760 | 5.5 |
| Seasonal, 300 ft two-story$1,999 to $3,076 a season | $1,538 | 13.3 |
Aluminum channel along the fascia or under the drip edge, LED pixels in it, and an app-controlled controller. It stays up all year. Clamp prices it per foot of roofline, with a controller for each run.
| Line | Cost | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Track and LED pixelsColor-matched channel, pixels, connectors and leads | $12.50 | lf |
| InstallAbout 0.1 hour a foot; a second story at 1.3x ($845 per 100 ft) | $6.50 | lf |
| Controller and powerOne for each run of up to about 250 ft | $285 | ea |
| New outdoor outletGFCI receptacle and in-use cover, when there's none near the controller | $307 | ea |
| Customer's own kitInstall labor only; a DIY or bought kit | $975 | 150 ft |
What installers publish
Trimlight$18 to $35 a foot installed, with the channel, controller and app
JellyFishAbout $25 to $35 a foot at corporate locations, plus $650 to $850 for the controller
OeloFrom $1,638 for 25 ft to $8,138 for 250 ft installed, about $65 down to $33 a foot
Gemstone$28 a foot from one Colorado dealer (fall 2026); Gemstone prices through local dealers
Clamp, ballpark price range$25 to $38 a foot, plus the controllers
Seasonal installers sell three things, and they aren't the same price. Most full-service companies lease the lights, then take them down and store them. Some sell the lights outright. Others hang the customer's own.
| Model | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Leased lightsThe default: hang $2.25/ft, a third of the $2.10/ft lights, takedown and storage | $760 | 5.5 |
| Bought lightsThe customer keeps them; still taken down and stored | $965 | 5.5 |
| Customer's lightsHang, take down and store their lights | $650 | 5.5 |
| Hang onlyLeased lights up, no takedown; the customer takes them down | $448 | 3.8 |
What installers publish
Lease, full service$4.50 a foot with install, removal, storage and service (K&M); $13 a foot with no minimum and the same rate upstairs (Peak Season)
Buy the lights$6.50 a foot, the customer stores them (K&M); $5.50 to $6.50 a foot in year one, then $1.50 to $2.50 (Blue Agave)
Customer's lights$250 to $350 a one-story house, $350 to $650 two-story; takedown from $100 one-story and $175 two-story (Montgomery Holidays)
The yard and the house add by the piece. These are seasonal prices with takedown and storage; a job with roofline lights shares one storage line.
| Item | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Tree to 15 ftWrapped or draped in mini lights, with takedown and storage | $411 | 1.4 |
| Tree over 15 ftTrunk and canopy from a lift; the lift day is $650 | $1,388 | 4.2 |
| BushNet or mini lights; most of it is the storage line on a one-bush job | $228 | 0.3 |
| Walk or drive, 60 ftStake or pathway lights | $385 | 2.7 |
| Lit wreathA wreath or 9 ft of lit garland, leased, hung | $271 | 0.2 |
| Interior treeSet up and light a tree, 2 hours at $55 an hour | $254 | 2.0 |
| Whole yard150 ft of roofline, two trees, six bushes, two wreaths, 60 ft of walk | $1,842 | 13.3 |
Same house, 300 ft of two-story roofline. The permanent system is paid once; the seasonal service comes back every year. At job cost, before the same markup on both:
Every price here is per foot of what gets lit: eaves, gutters, peaks and ridges you choose. Walk it with a wheel or take it off an aerial.
Rules of thumb
One-story frontAbout 100 to 180 ft (Peak Season)
Two-story front, peaksAbout 180 to 280 ft
Second storyClamp adds 30% to the roofline labor; Peak Season charges the same rate
No footage givenClamp estimates the house's perimeter from its square feet, two stories over 3,500 sq ft; replace it with the measured number
Most holiday lighting plugs into an outlet. The rules are about that outlet, the ladder and how long seasonal wiring can stay up.
Check before you hang
GFCIOutdoor receptacles at a dwelling need GFCI protection (NEC 210.8(A)(3)).
In-use coverA receptacle in a wet location needs a cover that stays weatherproof with the plug in, marked extra duty (406.9(B)).
90 daysSeasonal decorative lighting is temporary wiring, up no more than 90 days (NEC Article 590). Strings meant to stay up all year should carry a UL 588 Supplement SD listing.
LaddersRails at least 3 ft above the eave, the base out about a quarter of the working length (OSHA 1926.1053).
New outletAdding a receptacle or a circuit is electrical work under local permit and licensing rules.
HOASome associations want permanent lighting approved first. Ask before you quote.
A two-story house with about 300 ft of eaves, a permanent app-controlled system, and a new outdoor outlet by the garage. Clamp priced it at $7,162 job cost before markup.
| Line | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Track and pixels300 lf | $3,750 | |
| Install, 2-story300 lf at 1.3x for the second story | $2,535 | 39 |
| Controllers2 ea | $570 | |
| Outdoor outlet1 ea | $285 | 2.25 |
| GFCI receptacle1 ea | $22 |
The scope
DescriptionPermanent roofline lights on a two-story house, about 300 feet of eaves, app-controlled. There's no outdoor outlet near the garage, so add one.
The job
Every line priced
The job in Clamp, and the estimate it prices: $7,162 at job cost, by trade. Illustration of the Clamp app.
What it means
Permanent or seasonal, from the words
Clamp reads permanent or seasonal, the roofline, the stories, the trees, bushes and wreaths, and whether there's an outlet, and prices every line from its own rates with labor hours on each.
Holiday lighting is feet of roofline, who owns the lights, and the outlet. Price all three.
Questions
How much does it cost to have Christmas lights installed?
Seasonal lights on 150 ft of a one-story roofline, leased, hung, taken down and stored, are $760 in job cost before markup in Clamp's catalog, a ballpark price range of $988 to $1,520. Installers publish $4.50 a foot (K&M, full-service lease) to $13 a foot (Peak Season).
How much do permanent Christmas lights cost?
Clamp's catalog prices a permanent track system at $19.00 a foot in job cost before markup (track and pixels plus install) and $285 a controller: $3,135 for 150 ft. Trimlight publishes $18 to $35 a foot installed, and JellyFish about $25 to $35 plus $650 to $850 for the controller.
What is the Christmas light installation price per foot?
In Clamp's catalog, hanging seasonal lights is $2.25 a foot of labor, the lights $2.10 a foot bought (a third of that leased), and takedown $0.85 a foot, all job cost before markup. Published full-service rates run $4.50 to $13 a foot; permanent systems $18 to $35 a foot installed.
Are permanent Christmas lights worth it compared to seasonal?
On 300 ft of two-story roofline, Clamp prices a permanent system at $6,855 job cost before markup against $1,538 a season for leased seasonal lights, about 4.5 seasons to break even before the same markup on both. Trees and wreaths stay seasonal either way.
Do Christmas lights need a GFCI outlet?
Outdoor receptacles at a dwelling need GFCI protection under NEC 210.8(A)(3), and one in a wet location needs an extra-duty in-use cover (406.9(B)). Seasonal lighting can stay up no more than 90 days as temporary wiring; strings meant for year-round use are listed to UL 588 Supplement SD.
Sources & provenance
- Clamp's catalog, priced by script Clamp (research)
- Trimlight Pricing Trimlight (research)
- Pricing JellyFish Lighting (research)
- Oelo Lights Cost Oelo (research)
- Why Northern Colorado homeowners choose Gemstone Blingle Northern Colorado (research)
- Warranty Gemstone Lights (official source)
- FAQ Trimlight (research)
- Warranty Oelo (official source)
- Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Govee (research)
- Permanent Outdoor Lighting 5280 Lights (research)
- Our Services K&M Christmas Lights (research)
- Pricing Peak Season Lighting (research)
- Services Peak Season Lighting (research)
- Christmas Light Installation Blue Agave Cleaning (research)
- Pricing Montgomery Holidays (research)
- Holiday Decorating Adorn Events & Design (research)
- String lights all year: UL 588 Supplement SD UL (official source)
- 29 CFR 1926.1053, Ladders OSHA (official source)
- Electrical checklist, dwelling City of St. Paul (official source)