Burlington lots change a lot between the lake and the escarpment. A Shoreacres garden with old trees and lake wind needs different lighting from a terraced Tyandaga yard or a new Alton front with young planting. Here is what it costs and how we design for each.
What landscape lighting costs in Burlington
| System | Fixtures | Typical scope | Installed, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 6 to 8 | Front path and two uplights on the house or a tree | $2,400 - $4,800 |
| Standard | 12 to 18 | Front facade, path, a few trees | $4,800 - $9,800 |
| Full property | 25 to 40 | Front and back, trees, patio, steps | $9,800 - $26,000 |
| Per fixture, average | 1 | Fixture, lamp, cable, connector and labour | $270 - $560 |
| New exterior GFCI outlet for the transformer | n/a | Licensed electrician, if you do not have a suitable outlet | $350 - $900 |
| Yearly maintenance visit | n/a | Re-aim, clean, test, replace failed lamps | $150 - $400 plus parts |
Our landscape lighting cost guide breaks the price down further, and our installation guide explains voltage drop and layout.
Lighting design by Burlington neighbourhood
- Roseland, Shoreacres and Indian Point: deep lakeshore lots with mature trees. Moonlighting from the canopy, uplights on specimen trees and solid brass fixtures that stand up to lake wind and spray.
- Tyandaga: lots that step up the escarpment with retaining walls and stairs. Step lights, wall wash lighting and path lights make the slopes safe at night and show off the stonework.
- Aldershot and downtown: older brick homes and narrower lots, where warm 2700K light and careful aiming keep the glow off the neighbours.
- Headon Forest and Pinedale: 1970s and 1980s homes, often with an old halogen system ready for an LED upgrade.
- Alton, Millcroft, Orchard and The Falls: newer stone and stucco fronts, where facade and column lighting does most of the work and the plan leaves room for trees to grow.
Lighting walls, steps, patios and pools
A lot of Burlington lighting work is built into hardscape rather than staked in a garden bed. On escarpment lots and lakeshore patios, that is where light earns its keep.
- Retaining walls: low-profile hardscape lights tucked under the wall caps wash the stone face and light the ground in front of it. They are far easier to add while a wall is being built than afterwards.
- Stairs: a recessed light in the riser or wall beside every second or third step, so each tread edge is visible.
- Patios and decks: soft downlights from a pergola or tree, and a few low lights at the patio edge, instead of one bright wall light that blinds everyone at the table.
- Pools: lighting around the deck and the pool fence gate, kept low and warm so it does not glare off the water. Low-voltage fixtures still need the clearances in the electrical code near a pool, which is one more reason to have the work notified to ESA.
Planning a new wall or patio? Tell us early and we will run conduit and cable before the stone goes down. See our Burlington retaining walls and Burlington patios pages.
Permits and electrical safety
Burlington homeowners are often told low-voltage lighting needs no paperwork. It does. ESA Bulletin 2-3-18 says new electrical installations need a notification and its low-voltage exemption excludes lighting, and ESA has told Landscape Ontario that all landscape lighting installations need a permit. The system must run from a GFCI-protected outlet, and any new outlet is installed by a Licensed Electrical Contractor. We file the notification with every system.
How we install it
- Night walk and plan, marking what deserves light and where cable can run.
- Locates. Before any cable is trenched, we request a free locate from Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call). Locates do not cover private lines, such as power to a shed or an old lighting circuit, so tell us about anything buried on your property.
- Transformer on a GFCI outlet, with a photocell and timer or smart control.
- Cable and fixtures, with sealed connectors. On terraced lots we route cable behind walls and under steps.
- Aiming after dark, then a final check from the street.
Maintenance and repairs
One visit a year, usually in spring, keeps a system looking right: re-aiming, lifting buried fixtures, trimming, cleaning lenses, testing voltage and replacing failed lamps. Expect $150 to $400 plus parts. We also repair older systems and convert halogen to LED for about $18 to $45 a lamp, which brings running costs down to about $25 to $40 a year for a 16-fixture system.
Frequently asked questions
How much does landscape lighting cost in Burlington?
About $270 to $560 per fixture installed in 2026: $2,400 to $4,800 for 6 to 8 fixtures, $4,800 to $9,800 for 12 to 18, and $9,800 to $26,000 for a full property.
Do I need a permit for landscape lighting in Burlington?
An ESA notification is required. ESA's low-voltage exemption does not cover lighting installations, and any new outdoor outlet for the transformer must be installed by a licensed electrician.
What lighting works on a sloped Tyandaga lot?
Step lights on stairs, wall wash lights on retaining walls and path lights on the routes people walk, with cable routed behind walls and under steps.
Which fixtures hold up near the lake?
Solid brass or copper. Aluminum corrodes over time near the water and road salt, and plastic cracks within a few winters.
Can you upgrade my old halogen lights?
Yes. LED retrofit lamps cost about $18 to $45 each and cut running costs to about $25 to $40 a year for a 16-fixture system.
How often should landscape lighting be serviced?
Once a year, usually in spring, for about $150 to $400 plus parts on a standard system.