Installing and Maintaining Lighting on Public Street Trees

Where there is a desire to install lights on public street trees on the right-of-way, follow these requirements to minimize impacts to trees. Installing lighting on public trees in other open spaces, such as parks, is not permitted, unless written permission is granted by the urban forestry office and the park manager. 

1. Minimize Lights to Where and When They are Most Effective 

While lighting on trees may be attractive, it can also be harmful to our natural environment and disrupt wildlife. Minimize the installation of lights, and set lighting on a timer, to reduce lighting at off-peak hours. 

Requirement to minimize harm: Lights shall be LED, "warm white" or 2400 – 3000K, and shall be set on a timer to turn off at 11:30 p.m., or later in areas where closing times exceed this time. Lights shall not be installed near natural areas. 

2. Install Lights While Protecting Trees 

The installation and operation of lights can be harmful to trees and their branches.  

Requirements to reduce damage:  

1. Large trunks and branches, 2.5 inches and larger, can be wrapped, using evenly spaced wrappings of the lights. See Figures 1 and 2 
2. Smaller branches, between 1-2.5 inches can be traced, along the branch, not around it. See Figure 3. 
3. Small twigs and branches below 1 inch should not be lit, to reduce damage to buds and branches. See Figure 4
4. All old and non-functioning light strands shall be removed from the trees before new light strands are installed. 
5. Where power is not directly available, strings can be garlanded across paths, provided lights are no lower than 7 ft above the walkway. 
6. All material used for attaching lights shall first be approved by the County. Examples of approved light attachments include: “Prolock1/2” Poly Chain Lock, Tyton Nylon ties (max. 50 lb tensile strength), 1 Plant Tie Ribbon, or nursery grafting tape. 
7. Netting should only be used on trees 10 ft or smaller.  
8. Lighting shall not be attached with invasive or damaging methods such as nails or screws. 
9. Pruning of branches is not permitted to accommodate the installation and/or the removal of electrical wires or lights. If any trees, tree trunks, branches or limbs on trees within the right-of-way are significantly cut, pruned or damaged as the result of the lighting activity, the applicant shall be assessed for damages. 
10. Any lights found by staff not having adequate space or otherwise causing damage to the tree shall be loosened or removed and replaced. 

3. Timing of Installation 

Lights must be removed before the growing season, to avoid the girdling of growing trunks or branches. 

Requirement: All lighting can be installed starting Nov. 1, and must be removed no later than Feb. 28 of the following year. Extensions to these dates must be submitted and approved by the County. 

4. Approval Process 

If lighting is desired, obtain permission to light trees by messaging urbanforestry@arlingtonva.us, with the following information: 

1. Name, email and phone contact information for the project, with alternate contact information
2. Location and extent of project, including:

• Amount of trees to be lighted 
• Sketch of area to be lighted 
• Type of lighting installed (bulb type, color, Kelvin)

3. Dates of installation and removal of lighting 

5. Safety and Damage to Lights 

If lighting is approved by Arlington County, the following conditions apply: 

1. If at any time the lighting devices or their components become a hazard to trees or a public safety hazard, the issue shall be addressed by the permit holder at the direction of County staff.  
2. Arlington County does not accept any responsibility for damage to lights caused by County maintenance activities. 

Any tree work that is needed on public trees can be requested using our Report-a-Problem tool. Turnaround for tree work can be up to 180 days, and will not be prioritized for lighting projects.  

Regulating Ordinance 

The regulating ordinance for this policy is the Tree and Shrub Ordinance, which states:  

“The planting, pruning, maintaining, removal, or other treatment of trees and shrubs upon the streets, public rights-of-way, other County-owned public lands, and public vehicular or public pedestrian access easements where Arlington County is responsible for the maintenance of such easement shall be under the direction of the County Manager”.  

This ordinance can be found here.