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A safe 120V landscape-lighting install starts with a licensed electrician, then code-approved fixtures, boxes, GFCI protection and buried wiring.
For the full breakdown, see our best 120V Landscape Lighting guide.
Most of the landscape lighting tutorials online are written for low-voltage 12V kits that plug into a transformer. If you’re weighing how to install 120V landscape lighting, the honest first answer is that 120V is ordinary household current, and the guidance that matters — including the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals’ published guidelines — sends residential line-voltage lighting to a licensed electrician.
That doesn’t leave you out of the project. The homeowner’s half is planning placement, choosing fixtures, and understanding what code requires. The electrician’s half is everything that carries current. Here’s what a proper 120V install actually involves and where well-meaning 12V advice stops applying.
Can You Install 120V Landscape Lighting Yourself?
You can plan it and pick the fixtures; the wiring itself belongs to a licensed electrician. The difference between the two systems is the transformer. With 12V lighting, a plug-in transformer steps household current down to a safer voltage, so a homeowner can bury thin cable and snap fixtures onto it. With 120V, there is no transformer, and full line voltage sits in the wiring and at every splice. Wet soil, rain, and one slightly loose connection turn that into a dangerous shock risk, which is why most building departments treat a new outdoor circuit as permanent electrical work.
Some areas let a homeowner pull an electrical permit and do their own wiring. Even then, the inspection follows the same code, so every rule below still applies. If you don’t have real line-voltage experience, hire someone who does.
Why The Popular 12V Guides Don’t Apply Here
Because the tutorials ranking near the top are almost always about transformer-powered systems. This Old House’s frequently cited low-voltage guide, for example, assumes a transformer: mount it near a GFCI receptacle, install the first fixture at least 10 feet away, and bury the cable about 6 inches deep. None of that transfers to a system that sends 120V into the ground.
| Feature | 120V Line-Voltage | 12V Low-Voltage Kits |
|---|---|---|
| Power at fixture | 120V household current | 12V, stepped down by a transformer |
| Transformer | None — hardwired to a branch circuit | Required, usually mounted near a GFCI receptacle |
| Wiring burial | Deeper, code-specified depth for direct-burial cable | About 6 inches deep |
| Splices | Weatherproof junction box required | Supplied burial-rated connectors |
| Typical installer | Licensed electrician | Capable homeowner |
The two systems have different wire, different fixtures, and different rules. A fixture rated only for 12V has no business on a 120V circuit.
A Compliant 120V Landscape Lighting Install, Step By Step
A compliant install comes down to five things: a planned layout, a protected circuit, weatherproof boxes, wet-location fixtures, and a passed inspection. Here is the sequence that satisfies each one.
- Plan the layout. Mark exact fixture locations before wiring begins so the circuit route, mounting points, and switching are confirmed.
- Protect the circuit. Outdoor lighting branch circuits are commonly required to have GF
