Boise Homeowners Could Face Hefty $11,000 Fine For Setting Up Christmas Lights Incorrectly

Trust us when we say we want you to truly embrace your inner Clark Griswold. That said, we'd also like there to be enough money in your bank account for the holidays!

In 2015, America couldn't look away from a cringey, but incredibly relatable three-minute infomercial about the latest trend in Christmas decorating technology. We all love looking at Christmas lights in our neighborhoods, but we HATE having to untangle, test and hang the lights on our own home. That's why the Star Shower laser light was so appealing. You simply just placed this thing in your yard, hit a button and your house was festive looking without you having to climb up a single ladder.

Get our free mobile app

They were so popular that first Christmas season that they were harder to find than a Tickle Me Elmo in 1996. Homeowners loved them. The Federal Aviation Administration? Not so much. When lasers are pointed at the sky, they can distract or temporarily blind pilots which puts the safety of everyone on their plane at risk.

The FAA keeps records of "laser events" affecting planes and has made that data available to the public. In 2014, Idaho only had seven laser events. Two of those were in Boise and one was in Mountain Home. Only one report was during the holiday season. In 2015, the year the Star Shower was released, Idaho had 38 laser incidents: 23 in Boise, three in Nampa and one in Moutain Home. 13 of the local events happened in November and December.

Of course, we don't think homeowners using a laser show are purposely trying to put pilots in danger. Setting it in a position where some of the lasers beams were shooting into the sky instead of at the home was likely an accident. That's why the FAA will give you a free pass the first time they contact you if your display is negatively impacting pilots. According to their website, they'll ask you to adjust them or turn them off. If you ignore those warnings, they can come after you with a fine of up to $11,000 PER violation! 

There have already been eight laser incidents with commercial flights in Boise since November 1 of this year.