Blue Porch Light Meaning (Plus 6 Other Porch Light Colors)

What do blue lights on porches mean?

Blue porch lights honor police officers and raise autism awareness. The Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) organization started the blue porch light movement – also known as Project Blue Light – in 1989 to honor the police force in general and officers who died while performing their duty specifically. Blue porch lights in April, however, may represent the Light It Up Blue initiative for World Autism Awareness Day. COPS was inspired to launch the initiative after receiving a letter from a Philadelphia woman named Dolly Craig. In her letter, Craig wrote that she decided to light blue candles in her window in remembrance of her son-in-law – a policeman who passed away while serving – and his wife, who died in a car accident. The organization Autism Speaks started the Light It Up Blue movement in 2010 to coincide with World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. Every year, they ask homeowners and business owners to change their porch lights to blue to raise autism awareness and support autistic people becoming fully accepted members of society. More rarely, blue porch lights can represent support for alopecia, efforts against human trafficking, or suicide prevention. You don't have to adopt a special movement to put a blue light bulb up above your porch. You can also install a blue porch light as a decorative element or to lend your porch a cooler-toned ambiance than your typical white, yellow, or orange light bulbs.

6 Other Porch Light Colors & Their Meanings

Red porch lights can signify heart health awareness or Valentine's Day. February is not the month of Valentine's Day, it's also American Heart Month. Some people change their porch lights to red that month to spread heart health awareness or to decorate for Valentine's Day on February 14th (or both). In 2022, the American Heart Association lead a project in San Diego, CA to light up different buildings in red. Their objective was to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease among young women and women of color.

Purple porch lights symbolize domestic violence awareness. If you see purple porch lights in October, they're likely supporting Domestic Violence Awareness Month: an initiative designed to raise awareness of the domestic violence problem in the US, support victims, and create change. A purple porch light during any other time of the year may still symbolize this movement, or it may have been installed for personal preference by the homeowner. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) chose purple as the official color of their movement due to its association with the women of the early 20th-century suffrage movement, as well as its association with royalty.

Green porch lights show support for veterans home from service. A green porch light may be a signal that the homeowner supports the Greenlight a Vet campaign. Greenlight a Vet encourages people to change at least one visible light on their property (such as their porch light) to a green bulb to show their support for veterans who are reintegrating back into society after serving.

Orange porch lights were lit in Indiana to support 2 local teens. Orange lights are common colors for porch lights and don't typically carry any special meaning. However, in Delphi, Indiana in 2017, many residents and local organizations installed orange porch lights in remembrance of teenagers Liberty German and Abigail Williams. The girls went hiking on February 13th and were missing for a day before their bodies were discovered. The orange lights were put up to honor their memory until the person who murdered them was caught. Orange lights may also be associated with Halloween (the primary colors of Halloween are orange and black). Homeowners also put them up to create a warm glow in front of their home.

Pink porch lights may represent Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink porch lights are rare, but chances are if you see one (especially in October), the homeowner is raising awareness of the prevalence of breast cancer. Perhaps they or someone they know is a survivor or passed away from the disease, or maybe they just support the movement. Another, simpler reason could be that their favorite color is pink. If you're interested in switching to a pink light bulb for breast cancer, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and is the best time to make the change.

Yellow porch lights may show support for injured or sick veterans. Yellow porch lights aren't associated with any specific movement, but some homeowners may install them to show their support for veterans who got sick or injured in combat. In most cases, though, yellow lights are simply installed to provide warm, inviting light on the porch. Yellow light doesn't attract bugs like white lights do, so some homeowners will choose them for that purpose, as well.

Should you change your porch light color?

You can change your porch light color anytime you want. Some reasons to switch out the color of your porch light bulb include showing your support of a movement, celebrating a holiday, and showing off your favorite color. Avoid changing your porch light bulb because that's what your neighbors are doing and you feel pressured into it. It all comes down to your personal preference!