Can You Hang String Lights From a Retractable Awning?
Quick answer
Not on a retractable house awning. SunSetter's Platinum manual says "Never attempt to hang items from any part of the Awning, except those accessories that are supplied by the manufacturer," Marygrove's January 2026 care guide says the same in almost the same words, and Advaning's manuals say "Do not place, hang, or stand objects or persons on the awning itself." Dometic's 9100 RV power awning manual adds "Do NOT hang or place anything on awning. The awning will become unstable, and could bend or collapse." If you want light under the awning, buy the maker's own LED kit (SunSetter and Marygrove both offer one) or hang the string from the house wall below the arm shoulders and from posts set past the front bar. Manual RV awnings are the one exception: their roller bars have an accessory channel, and Camco sells party light holders rated at up to 15 lb each that slide into it. Take the lights off before you roll the awning up.
Not on a retractable house awning. Every awning manual checked for this page forbids hanging anything from the awning that the maker did not supply. SunSetter's Platinum Series manual says "Never attempt to hang items from any part of the Awning, except those accessories that are supplied by the manufacturer." Marygrove's care guide uses almost the same sentence, and Advaning's says "Do not place, hang, or stand objects or persons on the awning itself." If you want light under the awning, you have two choices. Buy the maker's own LED kit, which runs along the arms and moves with them, or hang the string lights from the house wall and from posts, out of the awning's path. Manual RV awnings are the one exception. Their roller bars have a channel built for accessory hangers, and the lights come off before the awning rolls up.
Two answers circulate. SunSetter's own blog says "string lights hung under an awning create a charming atmosphere," and RV forums are full of party lights clipped along awnings. The blog's next line holds the catch: "Lights must be mounted so that the awning can open and close without damaging the lights," and SunSetter's answer to that is its integrated LED kit, not clips. The RV photos are real, but they show a different kind of roller bar. The figures below come from four awning manuals, three factory light kit documents, an accessory catalog and a string light instruction sheet, all read in October 2026.
What the awning manuals say
| Awning and document | Rule on hanging items | What the maker offers instead |
|---|---|---|
| SunSetter Platinum Series (motorized, XL, Pro and manual) owner's manual | "Never attempt to hang items from any part of the Awning, except those accessories that are supplied by the manufacturer" | Integrated dimming LED lights in the lateral arms |
| Marygrove Retractable Awning Care Guide (January 7, 2026) | "It is not recommended to attach nor hang items from any part of the awning, except for the accessories supplied by Marygrove, i.e. front screen, side screen, wind sensor" | LED lights run from the awning remote: bright, dim, off |
| Advaning Luxury, Classic and SG Series owner's manuals | "Do not place, hang, or stand objects or persons on the awning itself. Doing so can damage the awning or cause severe personal injury and in extreme cases death" | "Only use Advaning recommended accessories and original replacement parts" |
| Dometic 9100 Series RV power patio awning (form 3312736.048, 11/19) | "Do NOT hang or place anything on awning. The awning will become unstable, and could bend or collapse" | LED light strip, if equipped, on a separate circuit from the motor |
The rule is the same in all four, and so is the exception: the maker's own accessories. That is not a loophole for string lights you clip on yourself. It is the maker telling you which loads the arms, front bar and roller were designed to carry, and which parts are shaped so the awning can still close around them. Marygrove's list of approved accessories is short: front screen, side screen, wind sensor. The awning parts guide shows where each of those mounts.
SunSetter puts the rule directly under its open-and-close warning: "be sure that no objects or persons can come in contact with it as it opens and closes." A strand clipped to the front bar or an arm is exactly that kind of object.
What clipped-on lights do to the awning
A string clipped to a retractable awning fails in three ways, and the owner usually finds out on the first retraction.
- It gets rolled into the fabric. A clip on the front bar or the valance rides back to the housing with the bar and is caught when the awning closes. Clips on the fabric or the arms get wound into the roll or pinched in the folding elbows. Marygrove warns that anything trapped between the layers when the awning rolls into its housing can stain the fabric, and that anything that "adds extra bulk inside the housing" causes mechanical problems. A strand of plastic bulbs is a lot of bulk.
- It slows down the retraction that matters. Lights that must come off before the awning goes in either keep it out in rain or get rolled up with a wet awning. Every manual here tells you to dry the fabric before storing it. SunSetter says that if the awning is retracted wet, open it as soon as possible, because "atmospheric pollution deposits on the surface of the Fabric can mold and mildew under damp conditions," and Dometic says "NEVER close awning (for storage) when wet." How to deal with the result is in awning mold and mildew.
- It adds load the frame was not built to take. Dometic gives the consequence plainly: the awning "will become unstable, and could bend or collapse." A strand along the front bar is light on a still evening, but strung between the bar and a post or a tree it pulls sideways every time the wind moves the awning. The site's guide to how long awnings last lists using the front bar as a hanger among the habits that shorten an awning's life.
Factory LED kits: the version the makers allow
Integrated lights solve the problem clips cannot: they are shaped to fold and roll with the awning. The documents below describe how each kit attaches.
| Kit and document | Where the light goes | Power and control |
|---|---|---|
| SunSetter Dimming LED Light System (2025 instructions) | Light strips slide into a track on the underside of each lateral arm; cords secured to the back of the square bar with Velcro strips | Receiver box plugged into a wall outlet ("GFCI recommended"); multi-channel remote. Fits 11'8" and 13'1" XL projections shipped after February 17, 2025, and 6'9", 9' and 10'1" projections shipped after May 19, 2025; earlier awnings take an upgrade kit with new arms |
| SunSetter Patio Lights (instructions revised 3/22/06, older models) | Six globe lights on hanger tabs that slide into the unused slot on the front bar (Motorized and Vista) or the roller bar accessory slot (900, 1000, XT) | Standard bulbs, 60 W maximum; plug into a GFCI-protected receptacle only, not within 16 ft of a pool |
| Marygrove LED lights (2026 care guide) | Placement not described in the care guide | Run from the awning remote with three steps: bright, dim, off |
| Dometic 9100 LED light strip (if equipped) | Factory option; placement not described in the operating manual | Own switch, separate circuit from the awning motor; "may be used while awning is open or closed"; turn off before travel |
| Lippert Solera awning light kit | Slides onto the integrated light cord on Solera Universal awning fabrics | Switch and plate included; 15 ft for 10 to 15 ft awnings, 21 ft for 16 to 21 ft |
The SunSetter instructions show what any light on a moving awning needs. They tell you to leave slack where the light strips meet their cords "to allow the awning to open and close without tugging on the cords," and they ship six Velcro strips to keep those cords tidy along the bar. A string of party lights has none of that, which is why it gets caught.
The old SunSetter Patio Lights explain where the "hang them from the front bar" idea comes from. SunSetter once sold globe lights that hung from a slot in the front bar on its own hanger tabs, and the 2006 sheet starts with "roll the awning out." Slot, tabs and lights were all the maker's, which is exactly the exception the manual allows. Owners of a SunSetter or Marygrove awning without lights can ask the maker about a retrofit before buying anything else; SunSetter's 2025 instructions cover kits ordered separately and an upgrade kit with new arms.
Power is the same as for a motorized awning. Both SunSetter documents want a GFCI outlet, and the wiring rules for an outdoor receptacle are in how much power a motorized awning uses.
RV awnings: the one place clip hangers belong
RV owners hang party lights from the awning so routinely that the house rule looks too strict. It is not, because a manual RV awning has a part a house awning lacks. Camco's RV catalog describes its Fits-All party light holders as sliding "easily into roller bar channel," says each holder "can support up to 15 pounds," and that they fit "all automatic roll out awning roller bar channels." Its fabric light holders are tabs that slide into the same channel, and the catalog adds: "When storing awning, just remove the hooks; tabs can be left in place." Camco's separate awning hanger clips, part 42720, are sold to "hang lights, flags, banners and more from your RV's awning channel."
So on a manual RV awning the light hangs from a channel that is there to take it. The routine is simple: hang the lights after the awning is out, and take them off before it goes in. Power awnings are different. The Dometic 9100 manual says "Do NOT hang or place anything on awning," and the only light it offers is its own LED strip. On a power awning, use the factory strip, or a sidewall strip under the awning rail that never moves; the choices are compared in RV awning accessories, and the brand detail is in Dometic RV awnings.
Lights without touching the awning: wall and posts
If you want ordinary string lights near a house awning, hang them from things that do not move. The trick is to stay out of the space the awning sweeps when it opens and closes, and that space reaches lower than most people expect.
A common awning shows why a strand from the wall out to a post rarely works. The projection and pitch guide gives the front bar's drop as projection times the sine of the pitch. A 12 ft awning at 14 degrees drops 144 x 0.242 = about 35 in. With brackets at 9 ft 6 in (114 in) and an 8 in valance, the bottom of the valance sits at 114 - 35 - 8 = 71 in, just under 6 ft. A strand running under the fabric to a post beyond the front bar would have to pass below 71 in to stay clear, which is head height for most adults. Either the bar hits the lights or people walk into them.
- Along the wall. Fix hooks or a cable into the wall itself, not the brackets or the cassette, a few inches below the lowest point of the arm shoulders, and run the lights parallel to the wall. Near the wall the fabric is still at bracket height, so a strand there stays clear of the roll. If you are still choosing where the awning goes, awning mounting height works out the same headroom question for the awning itself.
- Past the front bar. Measure the full projection, add the valance and a margin, and set posts beyond that line. Run the strand between the posts, parallel to the house, or from the posts back to the house corners outside the awning's width. The lights then frame the awning instead of hanging from it.
- Use a guide wire for long spans, and a GFCI outlet. A tensioned cable between posts carries the weight and the string is tied to it. Satco's instructions for its 24 ft S8031 set say "do not drape cord," call for a GFCI outlet in wet or damp locations, and allow at most three sets end to end (72 ft). Other strings carry their own limits on the label.
If the lights matter more than the shade, a structure with fixed beams is the better host. The trade-offs are set out in awning vs pergola.
Where this answer stops applying
- Fixed awnings. All four manuals here cover retractable awnings. A welded aluminum or fixed-frame canvas awning has no moving arms, so the sweep problem does not exist, but its frame still has a design load. Ask the fabricator; nothing here gives a figure for one.
- Storefront and commercial awnings. Lit commercial awnings are designed with the lights as part of the frame and signage. That is a different product and permit question, covered in storefront awning signage.
- Other brands. Four manuals agree, but if yours names accessory hangers or a light slot, follow it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I clip string lights to the front bar of a retractable awning?
Not according to the awning makers. SunSetter, Marygrove and Advaning all forbid hanging items from any part of the awning except their own accessories. A clip on the front bar is caught when the awning closes.
Can I leave string lights on my RV awning when I roll it up?
No. For its fabric light holders, Camco's catalog says to remove the hooks when storing the awning, while the tabs can stay in the roller bar channel. On a power awning such as the Dometic 9100, the manual says not to hang anything on the awning at all.
What is the safest way to light the area under a retractable awning?
The maker's integrated LED kit, which mounts in the arms and folds with them. Otherwise, string lights fixed to the wall just below the arm shoulders, or on posts set beyond the front bar at full extension, plugged into a GFCI outlet.
Sources and further reading
- SunSetter: Platinum Series owner's manual and installation instructions
- SunSetter: Dimming LED Light System installation and operation (2025)
- SunSetter: Patio Lights installation instructions (revised 3/22/06)
- SunSetter: Awning lighting ideas to enhance your patio
- Marygrove Awning Company: Retractable Awning Care Guide (January 7, 2026)
- Advaning: Luxury Series retractable awning owner's manual; same warning in the Classic Series and SG Series manuals
- Dometic: 9100 Series power patio awning operation manual, form 3312736.048 (11/19)
- Lippert: Awning fabric light kit with switch and plate
- Camco: RV catalog (2014), awning and outdoor section
- Satco: S8031 and S8033 LED string light installation and safety instructions
How we write our guides: figures are typical US ranges checked against manufacturer documentation, published standards and installer pricing. Read our editorial standards. Spotted an error or outdated detail? Request a correction.