Texas at a glance

Texas started regulating home solar sellers directly in 2025. Contracts signed on or after September 1, 2025 come with a five-business-day cancellation right, and solar retailers must register with TDLR. Older contracts fall under the state's general consumer laws. Texas also has no statewide net metering, so the savings in your proposal depend on your electricity plan.

If you were misled, you have options

Being told your bill would disappear, that the system was free, that a tax credit would pay off the loan, or that you were only signing up for an inspection can all matter, even long after a cancellation window has closed.

  1. Your state's consumer protection law. Every state has a law against deceptive and unfair business practices. False promises about savings, costs, tax credits, or who you were dealing with may fall under Texas's law.
  2. Missing paperwork and disclosures. Many states require specific disclosures and a written cancellation notice. If you never received them, a deadline may not have started, or the contract may have other problems.
  3. Your lender may share responsibility. When a seller arranges your financing, federal rules often let you raise the same claims against the lender that you have against the seller, up to the amount you paid. Check your loan for a notice about the FTC Holder Rule.
  4. Official complaints. Complaints to Texas's agencies are free, create a record, and can lead to mediation or an investigation.
  5. Professional help. A solar attorney or solar exit company can review your documents and tell you which of these options fit your situation.

Not sure which option fits? Tell us what happened and we will help you see your options. It takes about two minutes.

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Your right to cancel

Texas cancellation window

5 business days

For residential solar sales and leases signed on or after September 1, 2025, you can cancel without penalty by giving written notice on or before the fifth business day after you signed.

Source: Texas Occupations Code §1806.156 · Checked November 7, 2026

Conditions that matter

  • Business days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and state and federal holidays.
  • The contract must state the last calendar day to cancel and an email or mailing address for the notice. If it does not include that address, any reasonable written method works.
  • Covers sales and leases of residential systems. Excludes buildings with four or more units or stories, nonresidential property, and very small or temporary systems.

Agreements signed before September 1, 2025 are not covered by this rule. Other Texas laws, such as the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, may still apply.

Canceling one agreement does not always cancel another. A separate loan, lease, or power purchase agreement can have its own terms, so check each document you signed. If the sale was made in Spanish or another language, read your rights when a contract is not in your language. To compare deadlines, see the cancellation period in every state.

Laws that protect you in Texas

These are the state laws that come up most often in solar disputes here. Each one links to the official text or the agency that enforces it.

Tex. Occ. Code ch. 1806

Residential Solar Retailer law (SB 1036)

Applies to residential solar sales and leases signed on or after September 1, 2025. It gives you five business days to cancel, sets rules for what sellers must disclose, and requires solar retailers and salespeople to register with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation starting September 1, 2026.

Tex. Bus. & Com. Code §17.41 et seq.

Deceptive Trade Practices Act

Texas's main consumer protection law. It covers false or misleading statements about savings, costs, and what you are signing. Before filing a lawsuit under it, you generally must send the company written notice of your complaint 60 days in advance.

Tex. Bus. & Com. Code ch. 601

Home solicitation law

Gives a three-business-day right to cancel many consumer sales made at your home. This can matter for solar contracts signed before September 1, 2025, which the newer solar law does not cover.

How your utility credits solar in Texas

No statewide net metering

Texas does not require utilities to credit rooftop solar at the retail rate. If you live in a competitive area such as Houston or Dallas, what you earn for exported power depends on whether your retail electric provider offers a solar buyback plan and what that plan pays. Municipal utilities and electric co-ops, such as Austin Energy and CPS Energy, set their own solar rules. If a salesperson promised net metering or a specific buyback rate, check whether your current plan actually offers it.

Source: Power to Choose (Public Utility Commission of Texas)

Check your Texas solar contract

Pull out your paperwork and look for these. Anything missing is worth noting in a complaint or showing to an attorney.

  • Your contract states the last calendar day you can cancel and where to send the notice.
  • The seller and salesperson appear in TDLR's license search.
  • The savings estimate names the electricity plan or buyback rate it assumes.
  • You know whether your utility is a competitive-area provider, a municipal utility, or a co-op.
  • The installer's electrician is licensed by TDLR.

Where to get help in Texas

These are official agencies. Filing a complaint is free. An agency can investigate or mediate, but most cannot act as your lawyer or guarantee a refund.

Solar sales complaints

Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)

Regulates residential solar retailers and salespeople for agreements signed on or after September 1, 2025, and the licensed electricians who install systems. Its license search also covers registered solar retailers.

Visit the official page 800-803-9202

Consumer protection

Texas Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division

For deceptive business practices, including solar sales before September 1, 2025. The office uses complaints to investigate; it does not resolve individual disputes.

Visit the official page

Utility and billing problems

Public Utility Commission of Texas, Office of Consumer Assistance

Contact your electric provider first. The PUC does not regulate municipal utilities or electric cooperatives.

Visit the official page 1-888-782-8477

Lender problems

Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC)

Handles complaints about the non-bank lenders and credit sellers it licenses.

Visit the official page 800-538-1579

Before you contact anyone

  1. Gather every document you signed. The sales or installation agreement, any loan, lease, or power purchase agreement, and any change orders.
  2. Identify each company. The seller, installer, lender, and current servicer may be different businesses. Your latest statement shows who services your account now.
  3. Write down the timeline. When you were contacted, when you signed, when work started, and every promise made about savings or cost.
  4. Keep proof of every notice. Save emails, certified mail receipts, and the date you sent anything.

Guides for your situation

Questions to ask

  • Which agreement am I trying to cancel or change, and who is the other party to it?
  • What does my agreement say about cancellation, notice, and where to send it?
  • Did the seller give me the cancellation notice and disclosures required in my state?
  • Is my loan separate from my installation contract, and what happens to it if the contract is canceled?
  • Was a dealer fee built into my loan? Estimate it with our calculator.

Texas solar questions

Does the new five-day cancellation right cover my contract?

Only if you signed on or after September 1, 2025. For older contracts, the three-day home solicitation rule and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act may still apply.

My salesperson said I'd get net metering. Is that true in Texas?

Not automatically. Texas has no statewide net metering rule. In competitive areas, credit for exported power comes from your retail electric provider's plan, and those plans can change when your contract renews.

Where do I report a solar salesperson?

For agreements signed on or after September 1, 2025, file with TDLR. For older sales, file with the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division.

Do I have to give the company notice before suing?

Under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, you generally must send written notice describing your complaint and the amount you're seeking at least 60 days before filing suit. A lawyer can tell you whether an exception applies.

National resources

General information, not legal advice.

This page can’t tell you whether a right applies to your agreement. For that, contact a licensed attorney or the agencies above.

Other states

Solar rules change at the state line. See every state and the review status of each.