Christmas light installation cost in Vancouver WA and Portland (2026)

The short answer: how we price in 2026

We charge by the foot: simple, honest, no hidden fees. Your written quote spells out everything before any work starts. We price the same way in Clark County and the Portland suburbs.

On tax: Washington treats installing and decorating property for others as a retail service, so sales tax applies at the rate where the work is done: the 6.5 percent state rate plus the local rate.[1][2] Oregon has no general sales tax.[3]

How many feet of lights a house takes

Roofline feet set the price, and gables measure longer than they look because each one is two sloped edges. Four example layouts:

What the year-one price includes, and what's quoted separately

Everything on this list is in the year-one price:

• Commercial-grade Wintergreen faceted C9 LED bulbs, one color of your choice
• A clip on every bulb, no staples, no nails, no zip ties on gutters
• Timer or smart plug set for dusk to 11pm
• January takedown on the date agreed in your quote
• Testing, labeling and storage until next season

Quoted separately at the measure, so you see each line before you book:

• Trees, wreath outlets and railings
• A lift, if a run is out of safe ladder reach
• Extra timers, if your runs plug into more than one outlet
• A new outlet, if a run needs one

When a job needs electrical work, we bring in licensed electricians we trust. For a sense of what that costs, HomeAdvisor budgets $50 to $100 an hour for an electrician;[4] Angi's Portland page says $45 to $90.[5]

Who owns the lights? Buying, leasing and renting

With us, year one pays for the lights as well as the labor, and the strands are yours. After the January takedown we test, label and store them, and each later season we re-hang the same layout. Because the strands are already yours, a re-hang costs less per foot than year one.

Other installers work differently. Some rent or lease the lights: they keep the strands and you pay each season. HomeAdvisor lists rental packages at $250 to $600 for a basic setup, installation and takedown included,[4] and Angi's Portland page puts rentals at $215 to $510.[5] Saint Nick's Christmas Lights notes that some Portland companies prefer to lease.[6]

Others hang lights you already own and charge mainly for labor. HomeAdvisor says to add 50 cents to $2 a foot if you don't have your own lights.[4] We hang our own commercial strands; quality customer-owned C9s in good shape can sometimes be re-hung at the re-hang rate after testing.

Skipping a season or selling the house? Ask before you book. Next-season terms go in writing with your quote.

What other installers and cost sites publish

Every number below is as the source published it. Each covers something different, so the last column matters more than the middle one.

Read the averages with the feet in mind. HomeAdvisor's $444 average works out to 63 to 178 feet at its own $2.50–$7 range, and Angi's $358 Portland average to 60 to 170 feet at $2.10–$6. Those are small jobs: our single-story ranch example alone is 130 feet.

Compare what each number covers. HomeAdvisor puts labor alone at $2 to $5 a foot,[4] so if you already own good lights and the lowest first-year price matters most, a labor-only installer will usually cost less. Our year-one price includes the lights, the January takedown, testing and storage until next season.

What moves the price

The per-foot rate is the same on every house. These are what change the total:

• Feet. Price is feet times the rate. A gable's two sloped edges run longer than its width: a 24-foot-wide gable is about 27 feet of lights on a gentle 6-in-12 roof and about 34 on a steep 12-in-12.
• Height and access. Second-story gables and peaks add feet, and they're where most of the ladder work is. If a run is out of safe ladder reach, a lift is quoted as its own line before you book. HomeAdvisor and Angi both add about 20 percent for hard-to-reach roofs.[4][5]
• Roof details. Saint Nick's lists steep pitches, peaks beyond a 32-foot ladder, metal roofs and gutter guards among the things installers price in.[6]
• Beyond the roofline. Trees, wreath outlets and railings are quoted at the measure. How trees and shrubs are lit, and how many lights they take: Christmas lights on trees and bushes.
• Wind exposure. In Washougal, Camas, Gresham and Troutdale we clip every bulb, route cord behind the drip edge on exposed corners and tension the strand so it can't slap. If a run is a poor bet for seasonal lights in the Gorge wind, we say so at the measure.
• Power. One timer or smart plug is included. Runs that plug into more than one outlet may need more, and the quote lists them. A new outlet is a licensed electrician's job; we bring one in when a run needs it.

Ways to spend less on hired Christmas lights

The rate is the same on every house, so the savings are in the layout and in what you keep from year to year:

• Light what the street sees. The front eave, the street-facing gables and the garage carry most of the look; sides that face a fence can stay dark. Christmas light ideas shows the common layouts and their feet, from front-only to a full wrap.
• Keep the same layout next year. A re-hang of the same runs costs less per foot than year one, because the strands are already yours, tested and labeled for each run.
• Ask what the lift costs. A run out of safe ladder reach needs a lift, and the lift is its own line on the quote. If one high gable is the only reason for it, ask for the price with and without that run.
• Already own good C9s? Quality customer-owned C9 strands in good shape can sometimes be re-hung at the re-hang rate after testing. Ask at the measure.
• Staying put for years? Seasonal lights cost less the first year; permanent lights cost more once, with nothing to re-hang. How the two compare.

Year two and later, and when permanent lights make sense

From the second season you pay for a re-hang of the same layout, priced by the foot and less than year one. Permanent lights cost more once, with nothing to re-hang: our Pebble Track includes the controller, and it stays up, ready to light any night of the year.

On average, permanent lights run about $3,000 and Christmas lights about $600; smaller homes often cost less, and the free measure gives your exact written quote. Over enough seasons, the re-hangs add up past the one-time permanent price. If you're weighing the two, ask for a quote on each at the free measure and compare them side by side.

The permanent vs seasonal comparison sets the two side by side, and what permanent lighting costs covers every package. Moving soon, or want a bare roofline after January? Seasonal is the better fit.

Measure your roofline in five minutes

You don't need a ladder for a first measurement:

1. Open Google Maps on a computer and switch to the satellite layer.
2. Right-click the first roof corner you want lit and choose Measure distance.[10]
3. Click along every edge you want lit: front eave, garage, porch. The total shows on a card at the bottom of the map.
4. For each gable, measure its width and add about a quarter for the two sloped edges: a little less on a gentle roof, more on a steep one.
5. Write down the total and have it handy when you book the free measure.

Satellite measurements are a starting point. They don't show roof slope, access or where the outlets are, so the measure sets the final number. Book the free measure for your exact written quote.

When to book

We install from October 15 to December 10 and take lights down from January 2 to January 15. Your install and takedown dates are agreed with your quote; this page doesn't promise a date.

HomeGuide notes that most professionals recommend taking holiday lights down by mid-January, which is when ours come down too.[7]

Need the lights up for something specific, like a party or family in town? Say so when you book the measure.