LED Bollard & Pathway Lighting Guide (Canada): Spacing, Lumens & Specs

Written by Gadi Hamou · Product review: Maple Electric Supply · Resource architecture: Talkerstein Consulting Group · Updated 2026-06-15

What a bollard light actually does

A bollard is a short, post-style luminaire — usually 30 to 42 inches tall — that throws light down and out onto a walking surface rather than up into eyes. They mark the edge of a path, light a parking-lot island, define a campus quad, or wash a landscaped bed, all at human scale. Done right, a run of bollards reads as continuous, even light with no dark gaps between fixtures. Done wrong, you get a string of bright dots with black holes in between — which is a trip hazard, not lighting.

This guide covers how to choose, spec, and space LED bollards for Canadian sites. Maple Electric is a supply house: we stock the fixtures and help you spec the layout. We do not wire, install, or sign off on circuits — that is a job for a licensed electrician working to the Canadian Electrical Code (and your provincial authority: ESA in Ontario, RBQ in Quebec).

How far apart should bollard lights be spaced?

The honest answer: it depends on height, lumen output, optics, and how even you need the light to be — so treat any rule of thumb as a starting point, not a spec. A common planning heuristic is to space bollards roughly 1.5 to 3 times the bollard’s mounting height apart. A 36″ bollard, then, lands somewhere in the ~10–15 ft range for comfortable, overlapping pools on a walkway.

What moves the number:

• Even vs. accent. If you want a smooth, gap-free wash for safe footing, space tighter and let the pools overlap. If bollards are decorative markers and another source does the real lighting, you can stretch them out.
• Optics. A 360° round bollard spreads light all around; a louvre or shielded style (or one with a 180° spill-shield accessory) concentrates it where you want it and lets you push spacing or sit closer to a property line.
• Output. A higher-lumen, selectable-wattage fixture covers more ground per unit than a low-output decorative one.
• Surface & surroundings. Dark asphalt and dense planting soak up light; pale concrete bounces it. Adjust spacing for what the ground gives back.

For an actual layout, send us the run length and setting and we’ll help you count fixtures — but the circuit design, load, and final spacing on a wiring plan belong to your electrician.

*Planning ranges for even-ish coverage, not a code spec. Photometric layout and circuiting are the electrician’s / designer’s call.

How tall should a bollard be?

Height sets both the look and the spread. Shorter bollards (~28–32″) suit residential paths and garden beds — intimate scale, gentle pools. Taller bollards (~36–42″) suit commercial walkways, condos, campuses, and parking areas, where you want each fixture to cover more ground and survive being walked and parked next to. The taller the bollard, the wider the pool at its base — which is why height and spacing move together. The stocked Reno Lighting commercial line runs roughly 31″ to 42″, covering the residential-to-commercial range from one family.

How many lumens / what wattage do I need?

There is no single right number — output depends on how bright the surface needs to be, how far apart the fixtures sit, and whether the bollard is doing the lighting or just marking the edge. A few principles:

• Match output to job, not to a spec sheet. A decorative garden marker needs far less than a parking-lot bollard expected to deliver real foot-candles between widely spaced units.
• Selectable wattage is your friend. The Reno commercial bollards offer selectable wattage, so one fixture can be dialed up or down on site — fewer SKUs to stock, easier to tune a run after it’s in.
• Think in coverage, not just watts. Lumens-vs-watts confusion is everywhere; LED output per watt varies widely. See Lumens vs Watts for how to read the numbers.

For exact lumen and wattage figures on a given model, see the product page — we won’t quote a number here that doesn’t match the SKU you buy.

Line-voltage (120–347V) vs low-voltage (12V) bollards?

This is the fork that decides your whole install.

• Line-voltage (120–347V) bollards run on building/site power and are the norm for commercial walkways, parking areas, condos, and campuses. They need proper conduit, a circuit, and (typically) GFCI protection — all of which is licensed-electrician work under the Canadian Electrical Code. The Reno commercial line is multi-voltage 120–347V, which is why it suits commercial sites that may run on 347V.
• Low-voltage (12V) systems run off a transformer and are common in residential landscape lighting. They’re lower-energy at the fixture, but the transformer still ties into line power — so the supply side is still an electrician’s job.

Either way, trenching, conduit, GFCI, circuit sizing, and code sign-off are not DIY when 120V+ is involved. Maple supplies the fixtures; your electrician designs and energizes the circuit. For residential yard systems, see landscape & garden lighting; the same outdoor-power planning applies as in our outdoor outlets & weatherproofing guide.

What finish and rating handle Canadian winters?

Outdoor bollards live through freeze-thaw, road salt, UV, and snow loading. What matters:

• Durable finish. A quality powder-coat or marine-grade finish resists corrosion and salt spray — the Reno commercial line uses durable finishes built for the abuse.
• Wet-location / IP rating. Bollards sit in the open and take direct rain and snow, so they need an appropriate wet-location rating — check the product page for the specific IP/wet rating.
• Cold-tolerant build. Quality materials stay serviceable through −25°C; bargain plastics crack. This is the same lesson as outdoor covers in weatherproof vs weather-resistant.
• Mounting clearance. Mount and base bollards so the light head clears typical snow accumulation, and so plows and shovels won’t take them out.

Selectable CCT & why colour temperature matters

The Reno commercial bollards are multi-CCT selectable, 3000K to 5000K — one fixture, switch-selectable on site. 3000K reads warm and welcoming (condos, residential paths, hospitality); 4000K is a neutral all-rounder; 5000K is crisp and high-contrast for parking and security-minded commercial sites. Selectable CCT means you can standardize one SKU across a property and tune each zone. Full background in our colour temperature guide.

Commercial vs residential bollards — what’s the difference?

Both light a path, but they’re built for different lives.

For commercial and multi-unit sites, the stocked line is Reno Lighting — shop commercial LED bollards, or browse the full Reno Lighting range. For broader outdoor fixtures see outdoor lighting.

The Reno commercial bollard line at a glance

Reno Lighting is the commercial bollard family Maple stocks in Canada, in CAD. The general specs (confirm exact figures per SKU on the product page):

• Multi-CCT selectable 3000K–5000K
• Multi-voltage 120–347V
• Selectable wattage
• Round and louvre styles, heights ~31″–42″
• Durable finishes for outdoor / winter use
• Optional 180° spill-shield accessory for directional control near property lines or buildings

Maple is supply-only. We’ll help you pick the fixture, height, CCT, and spacing — but circuit design, conduit, trenching, GFCI, and code sign-off go to a licensed electrician (ESA in Ontario, RBQ in Quebec) under the Canadian Electrical Code. We don’t provide how-to-wire instructions.

Frequently asked questions