Professional holiday light installation costs $2.50 to $7 per linear foot of roofline in 2026, the average residential job comes to about $440, and a full property with trees and shrubs runs $750 to $5,000. Installers who supply commercial-grade lights charge $5 to $8 a foot and keep the lights, which is where the business is: the second year on the same house is mostly labor, and the takedown and storage lines bring the customer back every October.
This guide gives you a starting price for every service, explains what pushes the number up or down, and walks one two-story quote from the driveway to the total. The typical column matches the list Zeemy is adding for holiday lighting accounts, so you can start from it and adjust for your market.
2026 holiday lighting price table
Twenty services most holiday lighting installers quote, with the 2026 national low and high and a typical price you can start from.
| Service | Low | Typical | High | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofline, per linear foot, your lights | $5 | $7 | $10 | Commercial-grade C9 LED, clips, and labor. The lights stay yours. |
| Roofline, per linear foot, customer-owned lights | $2 | $3 | $5 | Labor only. Test every strand before it goes up. |
| Front-of-house package, one story | $250 | $450 | $600 | Street-side roofline and gutters, about 100 feet. |
| Front-of-house package, two story | $400 | $700 | $1,000 | Peaks and second-story eaves. Ladder time is the difference. |
| Full property package | $750 | $1,800 | $5,000 | Roof, windows, garage, shrubs, and a tree or two. |
| Window outline, each | $20 | $35 | $50 | Mini lights or C7 on clips. |
| Driveway or walkway outline | $60 | $120 | $180 | Stakes every 2 to 3 feet, C9 or mini. |
| Bush or shrub, each | $25 | $50 | $75 | Net lights or a wrap. $10 to $20 labor only on customer lights. |
| Tree wrap, small, under 10 ft | $75 | $150 | $300 | Trunk and main limbs, mini lights. |
| Tree wrap, medium, 10 to 20 ft | $200 | $350 | $750 | Ladder work. Price by the limbs you wrap. |
| Tree wrap, large, 20 ft and up | $400 | $900 | $1,500 | Lift or bucket truck. Estate oaks go past $2,000. |
| Lit wreath, installed, each | $35 | $60 | $85 | 24 to 36 inch. Larger wreaths priced separately. |
| Lit garland, per linear foot | $12 | $25 | $35 | Railings, columns, and doorways. |
| Timer and extension setup | $25 | $50 | $100 | Timer, cords, and the plug plan. One line per house. |
| Takedown, per job | $100 | $200 | $400 | About half the install price when quoted on its own. |
| Off-season storage, per season | $50 | $100 | $200 | Labeled bins on your shelf. Ties the rebook to you. |
| Mid-season service call | $75 | $125 | $250 | Free on your own installs, charged for everyone else. |
| Light lease package, about 150 ft | $250 | $450 | $600 | Install, takedown, and storage. Lights stay yours. |
| Commercial storefront, per linear foot | $6 | $9 | $12 | Commercial-grade, after-hours work, multi-year contract. |
| Minimum job | $150 | $250 | $300 | Keeps the front-gutter-only call worth the trip. |
"Typical" is the price Zeemy preloads for a new holiday lighting account, so a new owner can quote on day one and adjust for their market. Low and high are the 2026 national ranges from the pricing guides listed at the end.
What moves the price
Whose lights they are
Labor only on customer-owned lights is $2 to $5 a foot, and you inherit every dead strand. Supplying commercial-grade LED at $5 to $8 a foot costs you more in year one and pays back for five or six seasons, because the lights are yours, the customer rebooks to get them back up, and nobody else can install them.
Stories and pitch
A two-story front is the same footage as a one-story with twice the ladder time. Charge $1 to $4 a foot more for second-story eaves, steep pitch, and anything that needs a lift, and quote the big oak that needs a bucket truck as its own job.
Trees by height, shrubs by count
A tree wrap is priced by how high you go and how many limbs you wrap. Under 10 feet is $75 to $300, 10 to 20 feet is $200 to $750, and anything over 20 feet starts at $400 and goes past $2,000 on estate work. Shrubs are $25 to $75 each with net lights.
Takedown and storage
Standalone takedown runs $100 to $400, about half the install. Storage is $50 to $200 a season. Put both on the first estimate: the customer approves the whole season at once, January is paid for before it arrives, and the bins on your shelf are the reason they call you next October instead of the name on the mailer.
Minimums and the calendar
The season is ten weeks. A minimum job of $150 to $300 keeps the front-gutter-only call worth the trip, and a schedule with installs in route order keeps the crew off the highway. Commercial storefronts at $6 to $12 a foot on multi-year contracts fill the first two weeks of November before the residential calls start.
A worked quote
A homeowner on a two-story colonial wants the front roofline done, the maple in the front yard wrapped, the four bushes along the walk lit, a wreath on the door, and the whole thing gone in January. Here is the quote, built in the driveway in about a minute.
Two-story front and maple, the Hendersons
The two-story package is the base and covers about 100 feet of roofline with the peaks. The maple is priced by height as its own line and the bushes by count. Takedown and storage go on the same estimate so the customer approves the season, not just the install, and the lights come back to your shelf.
They approve on their phone and pay a 50 percent deposit, $805, the same afternoon. The balance is invoiced the night the lights come on, and next September the estimate is a copy of this one, sent before the mailers land.
Pricing tips from the field
Sell the season, not the install
Install, takedown, and storage on one estimate is a bigger ticket, one approval, and a customer who is already booked for next year. Quote it that way by default and let them remove the storage line if they want a garage full of bins.
Take a deposit on every job
Fifty percent on approval is standard. You are buying lights and clips in October for a job that pays in December, and a deposit turns a maybe into a spot on the calendar. Invoice the balance the night the lights come on.
Own the lights
Leased commercial-grade LED at $5 to $8 a foot beats labor-only at $2 to $5 on customer strands every year after the first. Your lights, your clips, your storage, your customer.
Charge for the second story
Ladder time is the cost. Peaks, dormers, and second-story eaves get $1 to $4 a foot on top of the base rate, and a lift day is its own line at cost plus your time.
Book commercial early
Storefronts and office parks decide in September and want lights up before Thanksgiving. Multi-year contracts at $6 to $12 a foot on recurring invoices fill the first two weeks of the season and bill themselves next year.
Questions holiday lighting owners ask about pricing
How much should I charge per foot for Christmas lights?
In 2026, $2 to $5 per linear foot for labor only on customer-owned lights, and $5 to $8 per foot when you supply commercial-grade LED lights and clips. Premium and multi-story work runs $7 to $12 per foot.
How much is a whole-house package?
A one-story front runs $250 to $600 and a two-story front $400 to $1,000 in 2026. A full property with the roof, windows, garage, shrubs, and trees runs $750 to $5,000 depending on size.
How do I price tree wrapping?
By height. Trees under 10 feet run $75 to $300, 10 to 20 feet run $200 to $750, and trees over 20 feet start at $400 and can pass $2,000 when a lift is involved. Shrubs are $25 to $75 each.
What should I charge for takedown and storage?
Takedown on its own runs $100 to $400, about half the install price. Storage runs $50 to $200 a season. Put both on the original estimate so the customer approves the whole season at once.
Should I lease lights or install the customer's own?
Lease them. Supplying your own commercial-grade lights costs more in the first year, but the strands last five to seven seasons, the second-year job is mostly labor, and the customer has to call you to get their display back up.
Sources
National ranges come from Angi, HomeGuide, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, and Fixr Christmas light installation cost guides for 2026, the Jobber Academy guide to bidding Christmas light installation, and the Light Pros turnkey installation cost guide. Prices are 2026 US figures and vary by region; use them as a starting point and adjust for your market.