Electrical

Outdoor and garden lighting

Lighting for a garden, drive or entrance, wired and protected for outdoor use.

Post a task Outdoor and garden lighting by county

Whether this needs a licence in Ireland

Ireland

Licence required

Registered Electrical Contractor (Safe Electric)

Registered Electrical Contractor (Safe Electric), issued or supervised by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Ask for the registration number before the work starts and check it on the public register. Check the register: www.safeelectric.ie

Wording approved by Talqero; not yet reviewed by a solicitor

Commission for Regulation of Utilitieswww.safeelectric.ieChecked 11/10/2026

Outdoor and garden lighting: what the job involves

Wired lighting for a garden, patio, driveway, path or front door, plus outdoor sockets and supplies to sheds and garden rooms, using weatherproof fittings and buried or protected cable. Outdoor electrics are a special location under the National Rules and are Restricted Electrical Works.

Also asked for as: outside lights fitted · sensor light installed · outdoor socket · power to shed · garden room electrics

How the job is usually done

Plan where lights and sockets go, how they will be switched, and the route the cable will take.
Check the fuse board for a spare way and RCD protection for the outdoor circuit.
Run cable in conduit or armoured cable along walls or in a trench at a safe depth, marked with warning tape.
Fit weatherproof fittings and junction boxes rated for the position, and controls such as a timer, PIR or photocell.
Connect at the board, test the circuit including RCD protection, and set timers and sensors.
Issue the Completion Certificate and show you how to switch and adjust everything.

Outdoor and garden lighting: what is included

Usually included

Cable, conduit and weatherproof accessories
A new or extended circuit with RCD protection
Testing and the Completion Certificate

Usually not included — agree it separately

Digging trenches through paving or reinstating lawns, unless agreed
Decorative fittings the customer chooses
Low-voltage plug-in garden lights, which need no electrician

Materials and who supplies them

Armoured cable, conduit, outdoor junction boxes and isolators, supplied by the electrician
Light fittings, often chosen by the customer and checked by the electrician for their IP rating

How long it takes

A few wall lights near the house usually take half a day; garden lighting with trenching or a supply to a garden room can take one to three days.

When to book

Lay cable while the garden is being landscaped, before paving or planting goes down; summer is easiest for trenching.

Outdoor and garden lighting: the rules in Ireland

What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.

New circuits, changes to a distribution board (fuse board), work in special locations such as bathrooms and outdoors, and inspection and testing are Restricted Electrical Works: only a Registered Electrical Contractor may carry them out. Like-for-like replacement of a switch or socket is excluded as minor work.
Applies to: the electrician, and the homeowner who engages one
Electricity Regulation Act 1999 and S.I. No. 264 of 2013, run by Safe Electric Ireland for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities · safeelectric.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
A Registered Electrical Contractor must issue a Completion Certificate for all electrical work except minor works, and give the customer the original copy when the job is finished, with the post-connection tests confirmed on it.
Applies to: the electrician
Electricity Regulation Act 1999; Safe Electric Ireland · safeelectric.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Every Registered Electrical Contractor can be looked up on the Safe Electric register by name or registration number before work starts.
Applies to: the homeowner
Safe Electric Ireland · safeelectric.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

What outdoor and garden lighting costs, and why

What jobs on Talqero came to

Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.

What affects the price

Number of lights and sockets and how far they are from the house
Trenching through lawn, beds or paving
Fittings: wall lights, bollards, uplighters, recessed deck lights
Controls: timers, PIR sensors, photocells, smart switches
Spare capacity and RCD protection at the fuse board
VAT: work on a home is charged at the reduced 13.5% rate by a VAT-registered contractor, unless materials exceed two-thirds of the price; ask whether the quote includes it
VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced rate of 13.5% by a VAT-registered business — unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, when Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the goods rate to the whole job. Ask whether a quote includes VAT.

Paperwork to ask for at the end

Safe Electric Completion Certificate for the outdoor circuit
A sketch of buried cable routes, so nobody digs into them later

Safety

Buried cables must be deep enough and marked; keep a record of the route before planting or building a fence.
Every outdoor socket and circuit should have RCD protection; test it with its button every few months.
Point security lights down into your own property so they do not dazzle neighbours or road users.

Outdoor and garden lighting: before you hire

Questions to ask a tradesperson

Are the fittings rated for being outdoors and in that position?
How deep will the cable be buried and how will it be marked?
Is the outdoor circuit RCD-protected?
Will you give me a drawing of where the cables are?

What you can do yourself

Plug-in low-voltage and solar garden lights are a fine DIY job; anything wired into the house supply outdoors is Restricted Electrical Works.

What to put in your task

What do you want outside?
How many lights or sockets?
How far is the furthest one from the house?
What would a cable cross?
How do you want them switched?

Photos that help

The garden or driveway from the back door, showing where lights would go
The outside wall where the cable would leave the house
The fuse board with the cover open

Outdoor and garden lighting by county

Choose your county for outdoor and garden lighting close to home.

Electrical

Need outdoor and garden lighting? Describe the job.

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Questions about outdoor and garden lighting

Does outdoor and garden lighting need a licence in Ireland?

Yes. Registered Electrical Contractor (Safe Electric), supervised by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Source: www.safeelectric.ie. Ask for the registration number and check it on the public register. Wording approved by Talqero; not yet reviewed by a solicitor.

Do I need planning permission for outdoor lights?

Ordinary domestic lights on a house or in a garden do not normally need permission. Aim them into your own property, since lights that shine into a neighbour’s windows or onto a road cause complaints.

Can I run a supply to my garden room?

Yes, by armoured cable buried or fixed along a wall, usually with its own small board in the garden room. Tell the electrician what will be used out there, since a heater or workshop tools need a bigger supply than lights.

Why does my outside light trip the electrics?

Water in the fitting or a damaged cable is the usual reason. An electrician will test it and replace or reseal the fitting with one rated for the position.

Often booked with outdoor and garden lighting

Electricians