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How much to charge for Christmas light installation
HomeGuide’s October 2025 seasonal installation range is $5–$12 per linear foot. Atlanta installer Abulous separates C9 lights at $4 per foot from installation and takedown at another $4 per foot. Price the roofline, access and return visit together, then state who owns and stores the lights.
Calculate a price
Starting point: $4.00 per linear ft. C9 installation and takedown; Atlanta area: $4.00 per linear foot. Published rate, rounded to cents. Annual labor: published split is $2.50 install and $1.50 takedown. Lights purchase is separate. Abulous Lighting: LED holiday Christmas lights, checked 2026-10-15.
Extras, travel and minimum
Measure only the lighted runs. Say who owns the lights, which maintenance visits are included, and when removal happens. The published labor starting rate includes takedown; leave removal at zero when using it and enter newly supplied lights in materials.
Enter lighted roofline (linear feet).
Christmas light installation price list: published rates
| Job or unit | Published price | What the price covers | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal roofline; US guide | $5–$12 per linear foot | Seasonal roofline installation; light supply and takedown depend on the package. | HomeGuide: Christmas light installation cost · Published · Checked |
| Removal-only job; US guide | $100–$400 per job | For removal when it is not already included in an installation package. | HomeGuide: Christmas light installation cost · Published · Checked |
| C9 lights: one-time purchase; Atlanta area | $4 per linear foot | Custom-assembled C9 lights and bulbs; customer keeps the equipment. | Abulous Lighting: LED holiday Christmas lights · Checked |
| C9 installation and takedown; Atlanta area | $4 per linear foot | Annual labor: published split is $2.50 install and $1.50 takedown. Lights purchase is separate. | Abulous Lighting: LED holiday Christmas lights · Checked |
| Mini-light strand purchase; Atlanta area | $19 per 25-foot strand | One 25-foot strand of warm-white mini lights. | Abulous Lighting: LED holiday Christmas lights · Checked |
| Mini-light install and takedown; Atlanta area | $14 per strand | Installation and takedown of one mini-light strand; lights purchased separately. | Abulous Lighting: LED holiday Christmas lights · Checked |
What belongs in a per-foot Christmas light price?
Measure the roofline you will actually light: eaves, peaks and the returns the customer can see from the street. Identify the bulb type and spacing, power connection, timer and included service visits. A photograph with the agreed runs marked is easier to approve than a total footage number alone.
Keep trees, columns, wreaths and ground features as separate lines. Their labor follows wrapping, lift access and connection points rather than roofline footage. Abulous prices its mini-light strands separately from C9 roofline lights, which makes a useful example of keeping those different jobs apart.
Should you sell the lights or rent them each season?
Choose the arrangement before setting the package price. When the customer buys the lights, show the equipment purchase and the annual installation/takedown work separately. Abulous uses that structure and leaves storage with the customer. A rental package needs its own terms for ownership, replacement and the return of equipment.
For customer-owned lights, test the strands and agree what replacement parts cost before installation. A failed strand halfway along a finished roofline can turn a quick hanging job into another visit. State whether your price covers repairs to your installation, replacement bulbs, or both.
How do height and access change the quote?
Price the equipment and working time needed for each run. A straight low eave, a high peak and a tree over a sloping driveway require different setup. Include the travel and setup for a lift if the job needs one. Keep the customer’s agreed design attached to the quote so a longer run is an identifiable change.
Confirm access to the driveway, outdoor receptacles and the areas where you will work. Put installation and takedown windows in the scope. Leave enough room in the return schedule for weather delays; a promise about the day the lights come down is part of the service you are selling.
How do you set a rate that pays for the whole season?
Add lights and clips, paid installation time, travel, equipment, expected service calls, takedown and storage if included. Allocate insurance and administration, then divide total job cost by one minus your target margin. The calculator keeps the rate for an installed package separate from a rate built from your own costs.
Record takedown time against the original job. If you only compare the payment with the day the lights went up, a job can look finished and profitable while its second visit is still unpaid. For a returning customer, check the stored set and new design before reusing last year’s labor price.
Three worked prices
These examples multiply Abulous’s posted equipment and annual labor rates by the roofline or strand count. Lights and return labor remain separate.
First season: a 120-foot C9 roofline. Customer buys the C9 lights and books installation plus takedown at Abulous’s two published per-foot rates.
C9 lights purchase: 120 linear feet × $4 = $480.
Installation and takedown: 120 linear feet × $4 = $480.
Example total: $960. Rate source: Abulous Lighting: LED holiday Christmas lights, checked 2026-10-15.
Returning customer: 150 feet already owned. The existing lights pass inspection and the design is unchanged. Only the annual installation/takedown line is included.
Annual installation and takedown: 150 linear feet × $4 = $600.
Example total: $600. Rate source: Abulous Lighting: LED holiday Christmas lights, checked 2026-10-15.
Four mini-light strands. Buy four of the provider’s 25-foot strands and include its per-strand installation and takedown charge.
Mini-light strand purchase: 4 strands × $19 = $76.
Install and remove mini-light strands: 4 strands × $14 = $56.
Example total: $132. Rate source: Abulous Lighting: LED holiday Christmas lights, checked 2026-10-15.
Frequently asked questions
Do you charge for takedown separately?
Either include it in the installed package or price it as a named return visit. Abulous includes it in annual labor; HomeGuide lists removal-only work separately. The customer should see who removes the lights and when before accepting.
Can I charge the same rate for customer-owned lights?
Separate installation labor from equipment you supply. Inspect and test customer-owned lights, then name any replacement parts and the repair arrangement. Their equipment can reduce the purchase line while leaving installation and return labor unchanged.
Should second-story lights cost more?
Charge for the access and working time that the height adds. Record the ladder or lift arrangement and roofline runs. A single height surcharge does not account for a difficult peak or a steep, obstructed setup area.
Who stores the lights after the season?
Put the storage arrangement in the quote. Abulous leaves customer-owned lights with the customer. If you store them, include labeling, packing, space and collection time in your annual cost and explain how they are returned if service ends.
How do I price a design change after installation?
Describe the added or moved runs and quote the extra visit, materials and labor before changing them. Keep repairs to the agreed installation separate from a new design request so the customer knows which work is covered.
Can I reuse the same holiday-light quote next year?
Use it as the starting scope, then check the lights, access, design, labor costs and return schedule. Show any equipment replacement as its own line. A repeat booking saves measurement work only when the layout remains the same.
Sources
- HomeGuide: Christmas light installation cost · Published · Checked
- Abulous Lighting: LED holiday Christmas lights · Checked