Solar Panel Removal and Reinstall: What to Expect (and Why Who You Hire Matters)

May 4, 2026

Solar Panel Removal and Reinstall: What to Expect (and Why Who You Hire Matters)

At some point, a meaningful percentage of Florida solar homeowners will face a situation nobody warned them about at the time of installation: they need their panels off the roof, and they have no idea who to call. Their original installer may be out of business — a common reality in an industry that saw significant consolidation over the past few years. Their roofing contractor won't touch electrical components. The manufacturer's warranty hotline can't dispatch a crew. The result is a homeowner stuck in a gap between trades, often with a leaking roof and a timeline pressing down on them.

This is one of the core problems Solarama was built to solve. Solar panel removal and reinstallation is a defined, manageable process — but it requires the right license, the right coordination, and someone who knows what they're looking at when the panels come down and again when they go back up.

The Four Situations That Require Removal and Reinstall

Most removal and reinstall jobs fall into one of four categories:

Roof replacement: By far the most common reason. Most Florida roofers will not work around or under a solar array — and shouldn't. Removing the panels first protects both the roofing work and the equipment.
Leak repair: When a penetration point under a panel is the suspected source of a leak, or when a roofer needs access to a specific section of the roof, targeted panel removal is required.
HOA-required re-roofing: Some Central Florida HOAs have started requiring roof replacements on older tile or shingle roofs, independent of damage. If your system is on that roof, it comes down first.
System relocation or upgrade: Moving panels to a different section of the roof for shading reasons, or preparing the roof surface for a new panel layout during a system expansion.

In each case, the panels cannot simply be unplugged by a roofer and set aside. The system has an active electrical interconnection with your utility, and Florida law is explicit: the disconnection and reconnection of a solar array requires a licensed contractor.

What the Process Actually Looks Like, Step by Step

A properly handled removal and reinstall follows a specific sequence. Here's what to expect when you hire a licensed solar service company:

Site assessment: Before anything is scheduled, a technician reviews the system — inverter type, panel count, racking hardware, roof material, and the current interconnection setup with your utility (Duke Energy, OUC, or Kissimmee Utility Authority, depending on your location).
Utility notification: Your net metering interconnection agreement with your utility requires notification when the system is being taken offline. This is not optional. Duke Energy's interconnection process, for example, has specific steps for temporary disconnection. Skipping this step can create billing complications and, in some cases, jeopardize your net metering agreement.
Electrical disconnection: The system is properly de-energized — this includes isolating the inverter (whether that's an Enphase microinverter system, a SolarEdge string inverter with power optimizer, or an SMA unit), disconnecting the AC disconnect, and verifying zero voltage before any panel work begins.
Racking and panel removal: Panels are removed in sequence, labeled if needed for reinstall position tracking, and stored safely — either on-site or off-site depending on the project timeline and roof access requirements.
Roofing work: Your roofer now has full access. This coordination window is important — the longer panels sit removed, the longer your system is offline and your utility bill is climbing. A clear timeline agreed on before the roof work begins keeps the project on schedule.
Reinstall and racking: Once the new roof is complete and cured (typically 24 to 48 hours for asphalt shingle, longer for tile), panels go back up. Racking is inspected and reattached to code.
Reconnection and system test: The inverter is brought back online, production is verified against expected output for the conditions, and the utility interconnection is restored. If anything was damaged during roofing — a cracked panel, a damaged microinverter — it gets documented before the system goes live again.

Why This Is Not a DIY Job — and Not a Job for an Unlicensed Handyman

Florida Statute 489 governs electrical and solar contractor licensing. Disconnecting a solar array from the utility grid — even temporarily — is electrical work requiring an active contractor license. This is not a gray area.

Beyond the legal issue, there are three practical reasons this matters to you as a homeowner:

Panel warranty: Most solar panel manufacturers (LG, Silfab, Qcells, REC, and others) include installation requirements in their product warranties. Removal by an unlicensed party — or improper handling during storage — can void the warranty on equipment that may still have 20-plus years of coverage remaining. A 400-watt panel that costs $200 to replace today will cost more in five years.
Inverter warranty: Enphase microinverters carry a standard 25-year warranty. SolarEdge inverters carry a 12-year warranty (extendable). SMA offers a 5 to 10-year standard warranty depending on model. Unauthorized disconnection can void these too.
Utility interconnection: Your net metering agreement is a legal contract with your utility. If someone improperly disconnects or reconnects your system and it causes a billing anomaly, a backfeed event, or a failed inspection, resolving it with the utility is a slow, frustrating process. Protecting that interconnection is worth the cost of doing the job correctly.

What to Ask Before Hiring Anyone for Solar Removal

The solar removal and reinstall market in Central Florida includes a mix of licensed contractors and unlicensed operators who have learned the physical process of unracking panels. The physical work looks the same. The difference is everything that surrounds it.

Before signing anything, ask for:

Their Florida contractor license number. Verify it at myfloridalicense.com. Solarama's license is CVC57175 . Any legitimate solar service company in Florida will have one and will give it to you without hesitation.
Confirmation they will handle utility notification for the temporary disconnection of your net metering interconnection.
A written scope that includes panel storage, reinstall, and final system test — not just removal.
Proof of insurance. Your roof and your electrical system are both at stake. If something goes wrong, you need a contractor who is covered.

What Does It Cost?

Solarama charges $180 per panel for removal and reinstall. A typical 20-panel system comes to $3,600. A 25-panel system — very common on Central Florida homes with higher Duke Energy loads — is $4,500.

That number can land hard when you're already facing the cost of a new roof. Here's the context that makes it make sense: the alternative to doing this correctly isn't paying $0. The alternative is voiding your panel warranty, potentially voiding your inverter warranty, and risking your utility interconnection agreement — the document that entitles you to net metering and defines how your system is credited by Duke Energy or OUC. Recovering from any one of those problems costs more than $4,500. Recovering from all three is a real nightmare.

The $180-per-panel price covers the full scope: disconnection, removal, labeled storage, reinstall, reconnection, system test, and utility coordination. No separate line items for permits or travel within Orange, Lake, Seminole, and Polk counties.

What Happens to Your Electric Bill While the System Is Down?

This is a question most homeowners don't think to ask until they see the bill. For a Central Florida home using a typical solar array to offset 80 to 100 percent of consumption, a two-week outage during summer production season can add $150 to $250 to your Duke Energy bill depending on system size and household usage. That's not catastrophic, but it's real.

The best way to minimize that window is to coordinate the removal and reinstall schedule tightly with your roofing contractor before any work begins. Solarama works directly with roofing companies throughout Central Florida to sequence the work efficiently — panels down just before the roofers start, panels back up as soon as the roof is ready. The goal is to keep the system offline for the shortest possible window.

Solarama's Role: The Company You Call When Everyone Else Has Left

A significant number of Solarama's removal and reinstall customers come to us because their original installer is no longer operating — or because the installer is technically still in business but won't return calls for service work. Florida's solar installation market expanded rapidly, and not every company that sold systems a few years ago is still positioned to service them.

We also regularly work with homeowners whose systems were installed by national brands that have scaled back their Florida service operations. If you have an Enphase, SolarEdge, or SMA system installed by a company that's no longer answering the phone, we can service it. The equipment is standard. The licensing is current. The work gets done.

Solarama is open seven days a week and serves Orange, Lake, Seminole, and Polk counties.

Start with a Free Bill Evaluation

If you're planning a roof replacement and aren't sure what the removal and reinstall process will involve for your specific system, the first step is a Free Bill Evaluation — at no cost to you. We'll review your system size, utility account, and production history to give you an accurate picture of what the job involves, what it will cost, and how to sequence it with your roofing project to minimize downtime.

There's no obligation. It's a 15-minute conversation that gives you the information you need to plan the project correctly — before your roofer shows up and finds out nobody has a plan for the panels.

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