Seasonal exterior work · United States
How to Start a Christmas Light Installation Business (Costs, Permits, and Price per Foot)
Price the foot, the clips, and the height before you promise a whole street.
- 83,342NAICS 238210 establishments, Census 2023
- 58.6%of those have fewer than 5 employees (48,799 ÷ 83,342)
- 18,069NAICS 561790 establishments, a wider building-services code
- $85/mogeneral liability in the Insureon installation sample
Decision summary
- The 2022 NAICS index file, opened November 6, 2026, has no holiday-light line. It lists “Lighting system installation” under 238210 and “Lighting maintenance services (e.g., bulb and fuse replacement and cleaning)” under 561790.
- Census County Business Patterns 2023, legal form
-: 83,342 establishments in 238210. 48,799 have fewer than 5 employees, which is 58.6% (48,799 ÷ 83,342). Employment in that row is 1,015,983, with noise flag G. Read from cbp23us.zip. - The same file counts 18,069 establishments in 561790. That is the whole “other services to buildings” industry, already used on the pressure-washing report. It is not a holiday-light count.
- Insureon’s installation page, updated August 18, 2026, says customers pay on average $85 a month for general liability. Insureon. The method note uses the median. The group is wider than holiday lights.
On this page
0. One block of houses
- Pick rooflines you can quote in feet, not a whole city.
- Clip-on bulbs the customer already owns are a different price from lights you supply.
- A new outlet or a hardwired track is electrical work. This page prices hanging lights, not a new circuit.
Christmas light startup costs
A national startup total is not on this page. A retail bulb page did not open with a price on November 6, 2026. Ladders, clips, and a vehicle stay out of the table until you have those quotes. The insurance line below is for installation businesses, not a holiday-light average.
| Line | Figure | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|
| General liability, monthly average | $85 | Insureon installation businesses, page updated August 18, 2026. The page also prints $1,020 a year. Method note: median. Not a holiday-light-only sample. |
| Workers’ compensation, monthly average | $165 | Same page. A separate policy. Do not add it to the $85. |
| Commercial auto, monthly average | $299 | Same page. Relevant if the business owns the vehicle. |
| Tools and equipment, monthly average | $41 | Same page. A separate policy. |
Permits
A city page that licenses only holiday-light installation was not opened. Not yet researched for a 50-state table. The index split that matters is the work itself: lighting maintenance and bulb replacement sit in 561790; lighting-system installation sits in 238210 with other electrical contractors. If the sale includes a new circuit or a permit, stop and open the building department. Do not treat clip-on strands and a wired track as the same job.
Insurance
Insureon’s installation page lists general liability at $85 a month, workers’ compensation at $165, commercial auto at $299, and tools and equipment at $41. Updated August 18, 2026. The method note says median; the headings say average. Roof edges and ladders are the part to read in the exclusions. Get the quote for the heights you will sell.
Does the foot pay?
Profit on one foot is the price minus bulbs and clips minus the minutes to hang it. Profit for the month also has to clear insurance, the ladder, and the vehicle once you know those bills. The industry counts do not set the price per foot. Take-down is another visit. Include it or sell it separately. No average installer income was opened.
Price one foot
Type what you charge per foot, what the bulbs and clips cost per foot, and how many minutes that foot takes. Empty stays unknown.
10. A second crew
Add another person when paid feet already overflow the week and the contribution still covers a wage and another set of clips. The section number is an outline label, not a headcount. A Bureau of Labor Statistics wage page was not opened for this trade.
First 90 days
- Days 1–14: measure a few houses in feet. Separate ground clips from any roof line you will not climb.
- Days 15–45: price insurance for the heights you will sell, and ask the building department whether a permit applies before you add wiring.
- Days 46–90: time real feet in the tool. Buy more stock only after those feet cover materials, minutes, and the month’s fixed costs. Book take-down before you book the install.
When to stop
Stop selling a roofline when the minutes and the materials use up the price per foot, or when the height is work you have not priced. The tool hides break-even feet in the first case. A hardwired track stays off the offer until it has its own permit and its own price.
Questions people ask
How do you start a Christmas light installation business?
Start with clip-on lights on houses you can reach from the ground or a ladder you are equipped to use, and price the foot before you buy a second spool. There is no Census code that counts only holiday-light installers. The 2022 NAICS index puts lighting-system installation in 238210 and lighting maintenance, such as bulb replacement, in 561790. Both counts are wider than this job.
How much does it cost to start installing Christmas lights?
This page does not have a national startup total. A bulb shelf price did not open on November 6, 2026. Insureon’s installation-business page, updated August 18, 2026, says customers pay on average $85 a month for general liability. That sample is installation businesses, not holiday-light companies alone. Clips, a ladder, and a vehicle are separate quotes you type into the month’s fixed costs.
How much do Christmas light installers make?
On this page, a foot pays when the price covers bulbs, clips, and the minutes to hang that foot, and the season’s feet cover the fixed costs you type. The tool prints break-even feet only when that contribution is positive. No national weekly income was opened.
How many Christmas light businesses are there?
Census County Business Patterns 2023 does not publish a holiday-light row. NAICS 238210, electrical contractors including lighting-system installation, has 83,342 establishments. 48,799 have fewer than 5 employees, which is 48,799 ÷ 83,342, or 58.6%. NAICS 561790, other services to buildings, has 18,069 establishments and includes lighting maintenance. Neither number is a count of holiday-light companies.
Do I need a license to hang Christmas lights?
A holiday-light license page was not opened on November 6, 2026. Plug-in clips are a different job from a new circuit. The NAICS index puts lighting-system installation with electrical contractors. If the job needs a permit or new wiring, open the local building department before you sell it. Other states are not yet researched.
How much is Christmas light insurance?
No holiday-light premium was opened. Insureon’s installation page, updated August 18, 2026, says installation businesses pay on average $85 a month for general liability. The method note uses the median of policies purchased. Roof and ladder work may sit outside that form. Get the quote in writing for the heights you will actually climb.
Should the customer’s lights or mine go on the house?
Those are two prices. If you supply bulbs and clips, type that cost per foot. If the customer supplies them, type zero for materials only when the cost really is zero. The tool does not assume a stockroom.
How do you price Christmas lights per foot?
Type the price per foot, the materials per foot, the minutes to hang one foot, and a loaded hourly rate. Empty stays unknown. Break-even feet appear only after you also type the month’s fixed costs and the contribution is still positive.
When does the season end?
Stop selling new installs when the minutes and the materials use up the price per foot, or when the roof line is work you have not priced. Take-down is a second visit. Put it in the price or sell it as its own line. The tool hides break-even feet when one foot does not cover its cost.
Still open
- No Census count of holiday-light companies. 83,342 is NAICS 238210. 18,069 is NAICS 561790.
- No bulb, clip, or ladder shelf price was opened.
- No holiday-light insurance page was opened. The $85 sample is installation businesses.
- No city holiday-light license was opened. Other states are not yet researched.