Landscape Lighting Is One of the Most Popular Outdoor Upgrades in NWA
Outdoor lighting transforms how a home looks at night and how safely you can navigate a yard after dark. In Northwest Arkansas, where outdoor living matters year-round and home values have grown significantly, landscape lighting is one of the most common upgrades we see homeowners in Springdale, Fayetteville, Rogers, and Bentonville adding to their properties.
The first question most homeowners have is not about fixtures or placement. It is about power. Specifically: do I need an electrician for this, and what is the difference between low voltage and line voltage landscape lighting?
Those are the right questions, and the answers are more straightforward than most people expect.
What Is the Difference Between Low Voltage and Line Voltage Landscape Lighting?
Low Voltage Landscape Lighting (12V)
Low voltage landscape lighting runs on 12 volts, stepped down from 120 volts through a transformer that plugs into an outdoor outlet. This is the system most homeowners are familiar with from big box stores. Path lights, accent lights, uplights for trees, and most decorative fixture styles are available in low voltage.
The low voltage wire itself carries very little shock risk. You can handle it without gloves, cut it with scissors, and connect fixtures with push-in connectors without turning anything off. This makes low voltage a realistic DIY project for confident homeowners who are comfortable with layout and basic assembly.
Low voltage wire only needs to be buried 6 inches deep under the NEC, compared to 18 inches for line voltage conduit. This makes installation significantly easier and less disruptive to an established yard.
Line Voltage Landscape Lighting (120V)
Line voltage landscape lighting runs on standard 120-volt power, the same as your indoor outlets. It produces more light output than low voltage systems, which is why it is used for large-area flood lighting, security lights, high-output driveway lighting, and commercial-grade architectural lighting.
Line voltage carries real shock risk and must be installed by a licensed electrician in Arkansas. All wiring must be buried in conduit at a minimum of 18 inches depth. Any line voltage outdoor lighting that is hardwired, rather than plugged into an existing outlet, requires an electrical permit and inspection.
Do I Need an Electrician for Landscape Lighting?
It depends on which type of system and how the transformer connects to power.
For a standard low voltage system where the transformer plugs into an existing outdoor GFCI outlet, you do not need an electrician for the lighting installation itself. You are working with 12-volt wire throughout the yard, which is safe to handle without specialized training.
However, you do need an electrician if:
- You do not have an outdoor GFCI outlet where you need it, and one needs to be installed
- You want the transformer hardwired rather than plug-in
- You are installing any line voltage fixtures or flood lights
- You need a new outdoor circuit to support the transformer’s power load
- Your existing outdoor outlet is not GFCI protected and needs to be upgraded
This is the most common way NWA homeowners end up calling us for landscape lighting. They purchased a quality low voltage system, went to plug in the transformer, and discovered there is no outdoor outlet in the right location, or the existing outlet is not GFCI protected. A licensed electrician installs or upgrades the outlet, and the homeowner handles the rest of the lighting installation.
Do I Need a Permit for Landscape Lighting in Arkansas?
For a plug-in low voltage system connecting to an existing outdoor outlet, no permit is typically required. The wiring you are burying operates below 30 volts and is generally exempt from permit requirements in most Arkansas jurisdictions.
For line voltage landscape lighting, yes. Any work involving 120-volt circuits outdoors requires a permit in Springdale, Fayetteville, Rogers, and Bentonville. If an electrician is installing or adding an outdoor outlet to support the transformer, that work also requires a permit.
When in doubt, your licensed electrician will tell you what is required for your specific jurisdiction before any work begins.
How Deep Does Landscape Lighting Wire Need to Be Buried?
This is one of the most searched questions about landscape lighting installation, and the answer is different depending on the voltage.
- Low voltage cable (12V): Minimum 6 inches under NEC Article 411. In practice, 6 to 8 inches is standard for most installations.
- Line voltage conduit (120V): Minimum 18 inches for PVC conduit, or 6 inches for rigid metal conduit. All 120-volt outdoor wiring must be in conduit.
For low voltage systems, most homeowners use a flat spade or a lawn edger to cut a shallow slit in the soil and tuck the wire in. No major trenching required.
How to Size a Low Voltage Transformer for Your System
One of the most common mistakes in low voltage landscape lighting is undersizing the transformer. Here is how to size it correctly.
Add up the wattage of every fixture you plan to install. Modern LED landscape fixtures typically draw 3 to 10 watts each. If you have 20 fixtures at 5 watts each, that is 100 watts total. Your transformer needs to be rated above that total, not just at it. A 150-watt transformer for a 100-watt system gives you 33 percent headroom for future additions and accounts for the slightly higher draw at startup.
Also consider voltage drop. Long wire runs lose voltage over distance. A fixture at the end of a 100-foot run may receive only 10.5 volts instead of 12, which makes it dimmer than fixtures closer to the transformer. Splitting long runs, upsizing wire gauge, or using a transformer with multiple output terminals addresses this.
Need an outdoor outlet added for your landscape lighting transformer, or want line voltage fixtures installed? Call NWA C&S Electric and we will handle the electrical side so you can focus on the design.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a landscaper install landscape lighting or does it have to be an electrician?
For low voltage systems (12V) that plug into an existing outlet, landscapers can legally install the lighting in Arkansas. For any line voltage fixtures, hardwired transformers, or new outdoor outlets or circuits, a licensed electrician is required. If a landscaper offers to handle the 120-volt side of the installation without an electrical license, that is a red flag.
What is the best landscape lighting for a large NWA yard?
LED low voltage systems are the right choice for most residential yards. They are energy-efficient, long-lasting, and available in a wide range of fixture styles. For large properties with long driveways or wide open areas that need high-output illumination, line voltage or a multi-zone low voltage system with a larger transformer is worth considering.
How many lights can I run on one low voltage transformer?
That depends on the transformer’s wattage rating and the draw of your fixtures. A 150-watt transformer running 5-watt LED fixtures can support up to 30 fixtures, though staying under 80 percent of rated capacity is a better practice. Most residential low voltage transformers are rated between 100 and 600 watts.
Do landscape lights need to be on a GFCI circuit?
The outdoor outlet supplying power to a low voltage transformer must be GFCI protected, as the NEC requires all outdoor receptacles in residential applications to be GFCI protected. The low voltage wiring itself running through the yard is not under that same requirement.
How long does landscape lighting installation take?
A basic low voltage system with 10 to 15 fixtures in an average NWA yard can be installed in a day by a motivated homeowner. Professional landscapers work faster. Adding an outdoor outlet by an electrician typically takes one to two hours as a standalone job. Line voltage installations are more involved and vary based on scope.
Get the Electrical Foundation Right First
Most landscape lighting projects in NWA come down to this: the low voltage fixtures and wire are the fun part that homeowners and landscapers handle, and the outdoor outlet or hardwired connection is the piece that requires a licensed electrician. Getting the electrical foundation right before you start running wire makes the whole project go smoother.
NWA C&S Electric installs and upgrades outdoor outlets, installs hardwired transformers, and handles all line voltage landscape lighting across Springdale, Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville, Bella Vista, and the surrounding area.
Call NWA C&S Electric: (479) 391-8655 | Schedule online at nwacselectric.com
