Removing solar panels for a new roof
without losing your warranty.

Who can remove and reinstall your panels

Start with one question: who owns the system? Your answer decides who you call first.

If you lease or have a PPA, the company that owns the panels controls the equipment, and your agreement may say who can touch it. If you own the system, with cash or a loan, the choice is yours, but your warranties and local permit rules still shape it.

If you lease or have a PPA: get approval first

Call the company you pay before you sign a roofing contract. Published policies from two large companies show how much they vary.

• Sunrun. Sunrun’s roofing partner, Remi Roofing, handles removal, roof work, and reinstallation. You may use your own roofer only if it is certified to work on Sunrun systems and approved in advance by Sunrun Customer Care at 855-478-6786. Sunrun warns that skipping approval can delay the project and affect performance and warranty coverage.
• Tesla. You request removal in the Tesla app or on its website. Tesla says you may hire a third-party contractor without its approval, but Tesla is not responsible for that contractor’s work, you pay for any damage it causes, and hiring one may void the existing system warranty.

Expect your payments to continue. Tesla says the energy contract stays active during removal, so monthly payments go on while the panels are off.

Arizona Sunrun and Vivint Solar customers. A 2025 consent agreement with the Arizona Attorney General requires the companies to give a written estimate to uninstall and reinstall, with a goal of finishing removal within 90 days of your request. If delays they control run past 90 days, they must credit or refund lease payments and fees for that time. The companies denied the state’s allegations.

The typical steps and timing

1. Get the roof assessed and quoted. Ask the roofer for a schedule that leaves room for solar work on both ends.
2. Contact the system owner or your solar contractor. Tesla says it expects to follow up on a removal request within about 7 to 10 business days.
3. Get the price and sign the work agreement. Tesla requires a signed Service Work Agreement before work starts, with separate agreements and invoices for removal and reinstallation.
4. Permits. Tesla says permits, when needed, take about two months on average.
5. Removal and storage. Palmetto lists about one day each to remove and to reinstall a standard system. Tesla asks homeowners to provide a safe place to store the panels.
6. New roof and inspections. In Gilroy, California, for example, the inspector checks the roof deck after the panels and old roofing come off, and again at final.
7. Waiting period. Tesla requires the new roof to sit for 30 days before reinstallation.
8. Reinstall, inspect, and confirm. Watch your monitoring app for a few weeks to confirm production is back to normal.

Build in extra time. Roofs, permits, and crew schedules rarely line up perfectly.

Permits, licenses, and inspections

Permit rules are local, so call your building department. Two examples show what to expect.

• Gilroy, California. A re-roof permit is required, and a separate solar permit is needed if the system is changed. Removal and reinstallation must be done by a solar, electrical, or general contractor with the right license, and a roofing-only contractor cannot do it. Homeowners sign a clearance form stating whether the system is leased or owned. For a leased system, the leasing company must put the panels back in their original location.
• Wheaton, Illinois. The permit application must name a solar company with an active electrical license as well as a state-licensed roofer, and include the manufacturer’s removal and reinstallation specifications. The installer must certify the work with a layout diagram, followed by a city electrical inspection.

Some requirements come from the solar company instead. Tesla says Colorado customers must provide a copy of the passed roof inspection before reinstallation can be scheduled.

Both cities require the system to go back in its original layout. In Gilroy, adding panels or changing equipment needs a separate permit.

What it may cost, and who pays

Prices vary with system size, roof type, and location. Two published figures give a starting point.

Who pays depends on your agreement. For leases and PPAs, read the sections on maintenance, removal, and roof work. Tesla says its pricing follows your energy contract. Under the Arizona agreement, Sunrun customers pay if they agree to the estimate. Sunrun says Remi offers a guaranteed price.

Watch for extra charges. Tesla says remodels may cost more, and that upgrades required by code changes are the customer’s responsibility. It also says any pest mesh or fencing must be removed before the crew arrives, or the visit may be canceled and a truck roll fee added.

If you own the system, get at least two written quotes from licensed solar contractors. Ask whether the price includes permits, new mounting hardware, and roof flashing.

Protecting your warranties

Removal is where warranties are most often lost. Before work starts:

• Read the warranty section. Tesla points customers to the limited warranty in their contract and warns that using another contractor may void it.
• Get approval in writing. If the system owner approves your roofer, keep the email or approval letter.
• Ask about workmanship coverage. Sunrun says Remi jobs come with a 5-year workmanship warranty. Ask any contractor what its warranty covers and for how long.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Ask the solar contractor to confirm in writing that removal and reinstallation will follow them. Wheaton requires the installer to certify this before its final inspection.
• Document the system. Take dated photos of the array, wiring, and roof before removal, and save your production history.

If production drops or a leak appears after reinstallation, report it in writing right away, with photos and dates.

Questions to ask before you sign anything

Ask both the roofer and the solar contractor these questions, and get the answers in the written contract, not just a phone call.

• Who removes and reinstalls the panels, and what license do they hold? Is the system owner’s approval needed, and do you have it in writing?
• Who pulls the permits, and who schedules the inspections?
• What is included in the price? Permits, new mounting hardware, flashing, disposal of old parts, and any equipment that must be upgraded to meet current code.
• Where will the panels be stored, and who is responsible if they are damaged or stolen while off the roof?
• What is the schedule? When the panels come off, when the roof is done, and when the system goes back on and is turned on again.
• What warranty covers the work? Ask the roofer whether its roof warranty still applies where the solar mounts go through the roof, and ask the solar contractor for its workmanship warranty in writing.
• Who do you call if the roof leaks at a mounting point later? Get the name of one company, not two pointing at each other.

If you are financing the roof, read the loan terms too. Some installers and roofers offer financing, and a separate loan may come with its own fees.

If insurance is paying for the roof

When a storm or other covered loss damages the roof, ask your insurer whether removing and reinstalling the panels is part of the claim. A 2025 question and answer in the insurance trade publication PropertyCasualty360 reflects one view: under a common homeowners policy form, removing and resetting even leased panels may be covered as part of the roof repair, because the work is needed to fix the roof. That was one reader’s interpretation, and your policy language controls.

• Ask the adjuster to include removal and reinstallation in the estimate.
• Send the adjuster the solar contractor’s written quote.
• If you lease, tell the leasing company about the claim, and ask who handles the panels.
• Get any coverage decision in writing.

If your installer is out of business

If you own the system, hire a licensed solar contractor. Ask your building department which license applies; in Gilroy, for example, it is a solar, electrical, or qualifying general contractor. Check which warranties still have someone behind them. Read what happens to your warranty when a solar company closes.

If you lease or have a PPA, the agreement usually moved to a new owner or servicer. Your statement names the company you pay now, and that company decides who can work on the system. Ask it in writing for its roofing process.

Either way, find your original permit and system layout. A new contractor will need them, and in Gilroy the inspector checks that the panels went back where the layout placard at the electric panel shows. See solar company out of business.

Keep paying while you sort it out. If a company will not respond about necessary roof work, document every attempt and file a complaint. Our complaint letter builder can help.

Related guides

• Solar company out of business
• What happens to your warranty
• Sunrun contract guide
• Tesla solar contract guide
• Document checklist