Home solar contractors must check roofs before installing and repair roof damage the installation causes, and contracts to buy or lease on-site energy generation or storage systems must make warranties, costs, maintenance and savings assumptions clearer, while some older utility-rate projection and property tax disclosures are dropped.
Official title: solar energy; inspection; contractors
- September 12, 2026
What changes
BeforeThe solar device rules covered solar systems generally, with no stated limit to homes.
NowThe rules cover only systems used mainly to serve on-site demand at a residential dwelling unit or multifamily structure. They do not cover utility-scale solar projects, systems on commercial, industrial or institutional buildings, or systems built mainly to serve an off-site load.
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NowBefore first installing a solar device on a roof, a licensed contractor must evaluate whether the roof can support it and must recommend that the customer get an inspection from a licensed roofing contractor. By installing, the contractor is treated as accepting the roof surface and must repair any roof damage the installation causes. This does not apply to structures used mainly for shade, such as for vehicles or livestock. Contractors who do not comply may face discipline.
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NowBefore a contract to buy or lease a residential solar system, the contractor must get a written acknowledgment that the roof or structure may need repair or replacement during the contract. It must clearly state that, unless the contractor's initial installation caused the damage, the buyer or lessee may have to pay to remove and reinstall the system for roof work, and that doing so may void or affect warranties and may limit the installer's liability.
BeforeContracts had to disclose warranty length only if a major component's warranty was shorter than the agreement. Costs had to be listed and acknowledged.
NowFor purchases, warranty periods for the system, major components (panels, inverters, racking and batteries) and labor must be in bold and initialed by the buyer. For leases, shorter component warranties must be in bold and initialed. Prices and fees must be in bold and initialed. The utility-rate warning must be in bold capital letters. Contracts must also explain maintenance and repair coverage and estimated maintenance costs, and the basis for any savings estimate (utility rates, rate-increase assumptions, estimated production and the status of utility pay for exported power).
BeforeContracts and sales materials with utility-rate projections had to show results across a range from a 5% yearly decrease to a 5% yearly increase, include historical utility rates, and disclose property tax assessments. Lease payments could not start until the system was energized and interconnected.
NowThose rate-range, historical-rate and property tax disclosure requirements are removed. Lease payments cannot start until a local utility grants permission to operate and the lessor has energized and interconnected the system.
Who it affects
- People who buy or lease solar systems for homes or multifamily buildings
- People and political subdivisions that buy or lease on-site energy generation or storage systems covered by the contract disclosure rules
- Licensed solar and other contractors who sell or install these systems
- Sellers and marketers of solar systems
- Registrar of contractors
What you need to do
Nothing. Buyers and lessees will be asked to initial more disclosures and sign a roof acknowledgment when entering a contract.
What the law doesn't answer
- Whether the new rules apply to contracts signed before the law takes effect
- What a contractor's roof evaluation must include or how it must be documented
- How "utility scale solar project" is defined
- What specific discipline a contractor faces for not following the roof rules
- Whether lenders who are not the contractor must still give the disclosures now that "financing" was removed from parts of the law
This summary describes the law as enacted. Later laws, court rulings or referendum petitions can change the picture. Check the official text for the current wording.