Roofer Damaged My Solar Panels: Who Pays and What To Do

It happens more often than it should in Tampa Bay: a roofing crew without a solar license takes the panels off anyway, or works around them, and the homeowner ends up with a cracked module, a cut conductor, a bent rail, or an array that was put back and never turned on properly. The homeowner's position depends on what the roofing contract said about the solar, who actually touched it, and how quickly the damage is documented and tested. This is what to do, in order, and how to keep it from happening on the next roof. Fused Solar and Roofing is a licensed roofing (CCC1331058), electrical (EC13014750), and building contractor (CBC1252064), all three in-house.

1. Stop and document before anyone fixes anything

Photograph everything before the roofer's crew leaves or comes back: the modules from the ground and, if it is safe, from a ladder; the rails and mounts; any wiring hanging or cut; the inverter and disconnect; where the panels were stored and how. Take screenshots of the monitoring app showing production before the roof work started and what it shows now. Write down the dates the panels came off and went back on and who was on the roof each day.

Do not let the roofer's crew "fix" the solar. A roofer who damaged the array while working outside their license is not the contractor to repair it, and a second round of unlicensed work makes the record worse.

🔑 Key Takeaway: The documentation you gather in the first forty-eight hours is what every later conversation, with the roofer, the insurer, or a lawyer, is going to turn on.

2. Who is responsible

In general, the contractor whose crew damaged the property is responsible for it, and a licensed Florida contractor carries liability insurance for exactly this. If the roofer's crew removed or handled the panels, the roofer is on the hook for damage they caused, regardless of whether their license covered the work; working outside the license makes their position worse, not better. If the roofer subcontracted the solar to another company, that company's insurance is the first stop and the roofer's is the second. If the homeowner hired a separate solar company directly, that company is responsible for its own work and the roofer for any damage its crew did around the array.

The roofing contract matters. A contract that says the homeowner is responsible for the solar, and a roofer who then touched it anyway, has stepped outside the contract. A contract that includes the detach and reinstall puts the responsibility squarely on the roofer and whoever they used.

Fused is not a law firm; a homeowner with a significant loss should talk to one. What Fused can do is establish what the damage is, what caused it, and what it costs to put right.

3. Get the system tested by a licensed solar contractor

Visible damage is the smaller part. A module with a cracked cell under intact glass, a connector that took water while the panels sat on the driveway, a microinverter that was dropped, or a string reconnected in the wrong configuration shows up as lost production, a ground fault, or an inverter error weeks later. Fused's service visit tests each string or microinverter, checks insulation resistance, inspects every module and connector, checks the mounts and flashing where the array was reattached, and documents the findings in a written report with photos.

Fused Solar and Roofing is a licensed roofing (CCC1331058), electrical (EC13014750), and building contractor (CBC1252064), all three in-house. That report is what goes to the roofer, the roofer's insurer, or the homeowner's own insurer, and it comes from a licensed electrical contractor rather than from the homeowner's phone camera.

💡 Pro Tip: Ask for the report in writing with the test values, not a verbal "looks okay." The number that matters is the comparison between what the system produced before the roof and what it produces after.

4. Check the mounts and the permit

If the roofer put the array back on, the two things most likely to be wrong are the mounts and the permit. Mounts reused and flashed into new shingle by a roofing crew are the standard source of leaks under a reinstalled array, and Fused's inspection checks each one. And if no solar permit was pulled for the detach and reinstall, the system is sitting on the roof without the inspection the county requires, which is a problem for the homeowner at the next insurance claim or sale.

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

Correcting that means a licensed solar contractor pulling the permit now, inspecting or redoing the reinstall as needed, and closing it with the inspection. Fused does that as a standalone job.

5. Making the claim

Send the roofer the written report, the photos, and a clear statement of what it will cost to repair, with Fused's estimate attached. A reputable roofer will turn it over to their insurer or pay it. If the roofer refuses or disappears, the homeowner has options: a claim against the roofer's liability insurance directly, a complaint to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which licenses roofers and takes unlicensed-work complaints seriously, a claim on the homeowner's own policy, and small-claims or civil court depending on the amount.

⚠️ Warning: Do not accept a roofer's offer to "make it right" by having their own crew redo the solar. The repair has to be done by a licensed solar contractor under a solar permit, or the homeowner has traded one unlicensed job for another.

6. Repairing the damage

Cracked or delaminated modules are replaced with matching or compatible units; Fused sources replacements for most of the panels installed in Tampa Bay in the last fifteen years. Cut or damaged wiring is rerun in conduit to current code. Bent rails and damaged mounts are replaced with new flashed mounts. A failed microinverter or optimizer is replaced, under the manufacturer's warranty where the damage did not void it. The system is then re-commissioned, tested, and inspected under the solar permit, and the monitoring is confirmed reporting.

Where the array needs to come off again to do this properly, because the mounts are wrong or the roof under them was not finished correctly, Fused quotes that as a detach and reinstall with the repairs as separate lines.

7. Keeping it from happening next time

The roof after this one will have the same array on it. The way to make sure this does not repeat is to have the solar handled by a licensed solar contractor under its own permit from the start, with new mounts and a written guarantee on the penetrations, and either to have that contractor also do the roof or to have it coordinate directly with the roofer so the roofer's crew never touches the array. The quote should say all of that in writing.

8. Why homeowners bring this to Fused

Fused holds the electrical license to test and repair the system, the roofing license to inspect and warrant the mounts and the roof around them, and the experience of having fixed the aftermath of a lot of roofs where the solar was an afterthought. It documents the damage in a form the roofer and the insurers take seriously, repairs it under permit, and, if the homeowner wants, is the one company doing both the roof and the solar next time.

🔑 Key Takeaway: Document first, get a licensed solar contractor's written test report, hold the roofer responsible through their insurer, and have the repair done under a solar permit by someone licensed for it.

Roof is done and the solar is not right? Request a system inspection and repair quote at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-panel-removal

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is responsible if a roofer damages my solar panels?
Generally the contractor whose crew caused the damage, through their liability insurance. If the roofer handled the panels without a solar license, that makes their position worse, not better. Talk to a lawyer for a significant loss; Fused documents the damage and the repair cost.

How do I know if my solar was damaged during the roof replacement if it looks fine?
Have a licensed solar contractor test it. Cracked cells under intact glass, wet connectors, and wrong reconnections show up as production loss or faults weeks later. Fused tests each string or microinverter and compares to pre-roof production.

Can the roofer fix the solar damage themselves?
Not properly. Repairing or reinstalling a solar system needs a Florida electrical or solar license and a solar permit. A roofer redoing it is a second unlicensed job.

What if no solar permit was pulled when the roofer put the panels back?
A licensed solar contractor can pull the permit now, inspect or redo the reinstall, and close it with the inspection. Fused does that as a standalone job.

Will my own homeowners insurance cover damage a roofer caused?
Sometimes, with the insurer then pursuing the roofer. The roofer's liability insurance is the first place to claim. Fused's written report and estimate support either path.

What does Fused's post-roof solar inspection include?
Testing each string or microinverter, insulation resistance, inspection of every module, connector, mount, and flashing, and a written report with photos and test values.

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 system inspection and repair quote at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-panel-removal