Can You Re-Roof Around Solar Panels? Why It Fails in Florida
Homeowners in Tampa Bay ask this often, and a few roofers will offer it: replace the shingle around the array and leave the panels where they are. The answer is no, for reasons that have nothing to do with the roofer's convenience. The roof under the panels is the same age as the roof around them, the mounts are flashed into shingle that is being torn off everywhere else, and the permit office will not pass a re-roof that stops at the edge of an array. The only way to put a new roof on a house with solar is to take the array off, roof the whole deck, and put the array back. Fused Solar and Roofing is a licensed roofing (CCC1331058), electrical (EC13014750), and building contractor (CBC1252064), all three in-house.
1. What roofing around the array actually leaves behind
A solar array covers a quarter to half of the roof plane it sits on. Roofing around it means the shingle under the panels, the underlayment under that shingle, and the flashings at every mount stay as they were, at twenty years old, while the rest of the roof is new. The old section is the one that matters most: it is where the roof is penetrated by dozens of lag bolts, where water from the upper roof runs under the array, and where debris collects against the mounts.
The new shingle also has to be cut and tucked under the array's edges, so the transition from new to old runs around the whole perimeter of the array on top of a roof that the panels prevent anyone from working on properly. That seam is where the first leak appears, and it appears under the panels where nobody can see it until the ceiling stains.
🔑 Key Takeaway: Roofing around an array puts a new roof on the part of the house that was fine and leaves the old roof on the part with forty holes in it.
2. What the permit office requires
A re-roof permit in every Tampa Bay jurisdiction is for the roof covering on the structure, and the inspector checks the deck, the underlayment, the fastening, and the flashings. An inspector cannot check any of that under an array, and the Florida Building Code's re-roofing provisions do not allow a new roof covering to be installed over a portion of the roof while the rest is left as is. Pinellas County's permitting FAQ states in plain words that a re-roof under solar panels requires both the roofing permit and a separate solar permit for the detach and reinstall; the other counties apply the same rule without the FAQ.
Who is allowed to do each part of a detach and reinstall, and why, is covered in our guide at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/post/who-can-remove-reinstall-solar-florida
A roofer who offers to work around the panels is offering to do a job the inspector will not pass, or to do it without a permit, and a roof without a passed final inspection is a problem the day the homeowner files an insurance claim or sells the house.
3. What it does to the warranties
The shingle manufacturer's warranty on the new roof covers a roof installed to the manufacturer's specification over the whole deck, with the underlayment and accessories it calls for. A roof that stops at the edge of an array is not that, and a claim on it is an argument. The solar system's mounting warranty assumes the mounts are flashed into a sound roof, and a mount sitting in a twenty-year-old shingle island inside a new roof is not that either.
Then there is the question of who warrants the leak when it comes. The roofer did not touch the area under the array. The solar company was never called. The homeowner owns the seam.
4. What about re-roofing one slope and leaving the solar slope
A variation of the same question is whether only the slopes without solar can be replaced, leaving the solar slope for later. Most permit offices will issue a permit for a partial re-roof of a defined roof section in some circumstances, but a slope with an array on it is the one most in need of replacement, not least, because it carries the penetrations. Leaving it for later means doing a second tear-off, a second permit, and a second detach and reinstall in a few years, and living with the oldest part of the roof under the most expensive equipment on the house.
The Florida Building Code's 25 percent rule also applies: when more than a quarter of a roof section is replaced, the whole section has to be brought up to code, which usually sweeps the solar slope in anyway.
💡 Pro Tip: If a roofer proposes leaving the solar slope for later, ask them to put in writing that the deck and underlayment under the array were inspected and found sound. They cannot, because they cannot see it.
5. What a proper detach and reinstall looks like
The array is shut down and locked out, the modules are removed, labeled, and stored on racks under cover, the rails and old mounts come off, and the roofer has the whole deck to work on. The roof is torn off to the deck, the deck is inspected and repaired, the leak barrier goes down over the entire deck, and the roof covering goes on. New flashed mounts are then installed through the new leak barrier into the framing, the rails and modules go back in the same layout, and the system is reconnected, tested, inspected under the solar permit, and returned to service.
Fused installs new mounts rather than reusing the old, and sets them into its self-adhered leak barrier so the flashing and the barrier work together. Every solar roof penetration Fused makes carries its written 25-year no-leak guarantee under its roofing license.
6. What it costs compared with roofing around
The detach and reinstall is an added line on a roof project, and it is the line homeowners are trying to avoid when they ask about roofing around the array. It is priced by the number of panels, the roof type, the height and pitch, and the mounting system, so Fused quotes it after seeing the roof. Against that line, roofing around the array saves the detach and reinstall today and buys a roof that cannot pass inspection, a warranty seam around the array, and a second project in a few years to do what should have been done now.
When the roof is an insurance claim after a storm, the detach and reinstall is part of the scope of restoring the roof, and Fused can meet the adjuster to document it.
⚠️ Warning: A roof quote that is noticeably cheaper than the others on a house with solar usually got there by leaving the array alone. Ask every bidder in writing how the solar is being handled and who is pulling the solar permit.
7. If the roof is not due yet
Sometimes the question comes up because one slope has a leak or storm damage and the rest of the roof is fine. That is a roof repair, not a re-roof, and a repair under or near an array may need some panels removed and reinstalled to reach the damage, under the solar permit, without replacing the whole roof. Fused does that as service work. What it does not do is call a partial re-roof a repair to avoid the permit.
If the roof is at fifteen years or more and the solar is on it, the honest conversation is about replacing the roof now with the array off and back on, rather than patching around it until the detach and reinstall is forced by a failure.
8. Why homeowners bring this to Fused
Fused Solar and Roofing is a licensed roofing (CCC1331058), electrical (EC13014750), and building contractor (CBC1252064), all three in-house. On a roof with solar that means one company pulls both permits, roofs the entire deck, and reinstalls the array on new mounts it guarantees, so there is no island of old roof under the panels and no seam in the warranty. Fused has done this across Tampa Bay since 2007, including on systems whose installer is no longer in business.
🔑 Key Takeaway: There is no way to roof around solar panels that passes inspection, keeps the warranties, or protects the roof. Take the array off, roof the whole deck, put the array back on new mounts, and do it once.
Been told your roof can be done around the panels? Get a second opinion and a free detach and reinstall quote at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-panel-removal
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a roofer replace my roof without removing the solar panels?
No. The roof under the array is the same age as the rest, the mounts are flashed into shingle being torn off everywhere else, and the permit office will not pass a re-roof that stops at the edge of an array. The array has to come off and go back on under a separate solar permit.
Can I re-roof only the slopes without solar?
A partial re-roof may be permitted in some cases, but the solar slope carries the penetrations and is the slope most in need of replacement. Leaving it means a second tear-off, a second permit, and a second detach and reinstall later, and the Florida Building Code's 25 percent rule often sweeps it in anyway.
What does roofing around the panels do to my warranty?
The shingle manufacturer's warranty assumes a roof installed over the whole deck to specification; the mounting warranty assumes mounts flashed into a sound roof. A roof that stops at the array satisfies neither, and the seam around the array has no one standing behind it.
Does a re-roof with solar need two permits?
Yes. A roofing permit for the roof and a separate solar or electrical permit for the detach and reinstall, each with its own inspection. Pinellas County's FAQ says so directly, and the other Tampa Bay counties apply the same rule.
Does Fused reuse the old mounts when the panels go back on?
No. Fused installs new flashed mounts through the new leak barrier into the framing and reinstalls the array on them. Every solar roof penetration Fused makes carries its written 25-year no-leak guarantee.
What if only one section of my roof is damaged?
That may be a repair rather than a re-roof. A repair under or near the array may need some panels removed and reinstalled to reach the damage, which Fused does as service work under the solar permit.
Fused Solar and Roofing has performed solar detach and reinstall work across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Manatee counties since 2007, pulling both the roofing permit and the solar permit on its own jobs. Request a free detach and reinstall quote at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-panel-removal
Fused Solar and Roofing holds Florida roofing (CCC1331058), electrical (EC13014750), and building (CBC1252064) licenses, all three in-house, and has served Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Manatee counties since 2007. Fused Solar and Roofing is an EnergySage Elite Installer with a 5.0/5 rating and 21+ verified reviews, independent verification, earned not purchased. Request a free detach and reinstall quote at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-panel-removal
