San Francisco · Temporary Power Services
Light Tower Rentals in San Francisco
Diesel and solar LED towers, balloon lights and interior LED strings for night pours, winter afternoons and dark basements.
Light Towers · San Francisco
Light for Short Days, Early Starts and Night Pours
San Francisco winter days are short, fog can keep mornings gray, and plenty of jobs start before sunrise or run late to finish a pour. A light tower rental puts bright, even light where your crew works. We rent LED towers on diesel and solar power, balloon lights that spread low-glare light over a wide area, and LED string lighting for interiors, stairwells and parking levels. LED towers have replaced the older metal-halide units and burn far less fuel, and solar towers run silent with no fuel at all. We deliver across San Francisco and the north peninsula, aim the towers at the work instead of the neighbors, and pick them up when the job is done.
Lighting Placed for Dense City Blocks
When the next building is ten feet away, a tower aimed badly lights up bedrooms and starts complaints. We plan placement and aim on every job. On tight lots we often use shorter masts, balloon lights or interior string lighting in place of one big tower. Wind matters too. Towers on a windy hilltop or an open lot by the water need their outriggers set and have to come down in high wind, and we show your crew how. When you would rather run lights off site power, we can connect electric fixtures to the temporary electrical panel on site.
- LED towers on diesel or solar
- Balloon lights for low glare near homes
- LED string lighting for interiors
- Placement planned around neighbors
Jobs That Call for Rental Lighting
These are the most common reasons crews call us for lights.
Concrete pours that start before dawn
Large pours often begin in the dark to work around traffic and street-use windows. Towers over the deck and the pump let the crew place and finish safely.
Winter afternoons
From November into February, daylight runs out before many crews wrap up. A couple of towers keep the last hours of the shift productive.
Interior work before permanent fixtures
Basements, parking levels and gutted floors are dark at any hour. LED strings hung from the ceiling on one cord light the whole floor.
Approved night work
Some street, utility and commercial work happens at night under permits that limit noise and hours. Solar towers and low-noise LED units make those limits easier to meet. Check with DBI or Public Works on the conditions tied to your permit.
Security lighting
A lit site discourages theft. Towers on timers or photocells light gates and storage areas overnight and pair well with surveillance camera trailers.
Tell us the area, the hours and how close the neighbors are, and we will suggest a setup. Call: (415) 936-1338
How We Work
The same project manager stays on your job from the first call to the day we pull the gear. The steps look like this:
1. Plan the layout
We look at the area to light, the homes and businesses nearby, and where a tower can safely stand. That tells us how many towers and what type.
2. Deliver and set up
Towers are delivered and leveled, the outriggers go out, and the heads are aimed. We show your crew how to raise, lower and start each unit.
3. Fuel, service and pickup
Diesel towers get refueled on a schedule, and solar towers get a check on panels and batteries. When the job ends, we collect everything.
Types of Rental Lighting We Carry
Diesel LED towers
The standard tower puts LED fixtures on a telescoping mast with a small diesel engine underneath. LEDs draw much less than the old metal-halide lamps and reach full brightness the moment they switch on.
Solar light towers
Solar towers charge batteries by day and run LED heads at night with no engine noise and no fuel. Fog and short winter days slow charging, so we check the site exposure and run time before recommending one.
Balloon lights
A balloon light is a glowing fabric globe on a stand that spreads soft, even light with very little glare. It suits work near homes, roadwork and interiors with high ceilings.
LED string lighting
Strings of sealed LED fixtures run on one cord through stairwells, corridors and parking levels. They plug into site power and give interior crews safe, even light.
Power and accessories
Electric fixtures can plug into the site panel or a rented diesel generator. We also supply cords, spider boxes and timers.
Light Tower Rental Rates
Light towers typically rent for $350 to $700 per week. The final price depends on:
- Tower type. Solar towers and balloon lights often cost more than a standard diesel LED tower.
- Number of units. Large sites need several towers, and interior work may need string lighting instead.
- Rental length. Monthly rates work out lower per week than short rentals.
- Fuel. Diesel towers sip fuel, but it is billed separately.
- Delivery and moves. Shifting towers as the work moves is quoted per trip.
- Night work conditions. Low-noise units, glare shields or extra setup for permitted night work can add cost.
Give us the hours and the area, and we will price a lighting plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much area does one tower light?
It depends on the fixtures, the mast height and the task. One LED tower can cover a large open area, but structures in the way and the light level your work requires both change the answer. We lay out the towers for your site.
Are LED towers quieter than older ones?
LED heads draw less power, so the engine can be smaller and many units are quieter as a result. For the quietest option, a solar tower has no engine at all.
Can I run light towers at night in San Francisco?
Night construction in the city is limited by noise rules and the conditions on your permit. If your permit allows night work, solar or low-noise LED towers make it easier to comply. Check with DBI or Public Works for your project.
Do light towers work in the wind?
Each tower has a wind rating, and the mast should come down when gusts exceed it. On exposed sites we set the outriggers and orient the tower to cut the load. Ask our crew to show you the rating on each unit.
Can you light a garage or basement?
Yes. LED string lighting runs along ceilings in parking levels, basements and stairwells and plugs into a standard circuit.
How much does a light tower rental cost?
Weekly rates for one tower usually fall in the $350 to $700 range. Fuel and delivery are extra.
Do you deliver on the peninsula?
Yes. We cover San Mateo, Burlingame, San Bruno, Brisbane, South San Francisco and Daly City, plus all of San Francisco.
Should I choose a solar or a diesel tower?
Solar makes sense for quiet hours, security lighting and sites near homes, as long as the panels get enough sun to recharge. Diesel is the safer pick for long shifts, heavy fog stretches and jobs that need several heads at full output all night. Many sites end up with one of each.
Do you still rent metal-halide towers?
Our fleet runs on LED heads. They light up instantly, so a tower that gets switched off during a break comes right back, and the fuel savings over a month of night shifts are large enough that we retired the old lamps.
Can towers stay set up over a weekend?
Yes. On timers or photocells they come on at dusk and shut off at sunrise without anyone on site. We top off diesel units on Friday so they make it to Monday.
Need power on a San Francisco site?
Tell us where the job is, when crews start and which tools and machines will draw power. A project manager calls back with a written quote.
Or call us now: (415) 936-1338