Does a Roofer Need a License to Remove Solar Panels?
Your roofer is good. He has done your neighbors' roofs, his license is current, and he says his crew will take the solar panels off before the tear-off and put them back when the roof is done. It is a fair offer, and in Florida it comes with a question the homeowner should ask: which license covers putting the solar back? A roofing license covers the roof. The electrical side of a solar array is a different trade with a different license, and a roofer who does not hold it brings in someone who does. Fused Solar and Roofing is a licensed roofing (CCC1331058), electrical (EC13014750), and building contractor (CBC1252064), all three in-house, so we sit on both sides of this question, and this post explains what a roofing license does and does not cover on a solar detach and reinstall, how roofers handle it correctly, and what to ask.
1. What a Roofing License Covers on a Detach and Reinstall
A roofing contractor is licensed for the roofing part of the job, and on a re-roof with solar that part is substantial. It includes removing the old solar attachments from the old roof, tearing off and replacing the roofing system, and flashing and sealing the new solar attachments into the new roof. Every solar mount is a penetration through the roof covering, and flashing a penetration so it sheds water for the life of the roof is roofing work in the plainest sense. A roofer is exactly who should be doing it.
What the roofing license does not cover is the electrical side: shutting the system down, disconnecting the array, handling the wiring and rapid shutdown equipment while the roof is open, and reconnecting and recommissioning the system afterward. That is electrical contracting, and it sits under a different license.
📌 Key Takeaway: A roofing license covers the roof and the flashing at every solar attachment. It does not cover disconnecting and reconnecting the solar, which is electrical work under its own license.
2. What Florida Law Says About the Electrical Part
Florida licenses contractors by trade, and the rule for working outside your trade is written into the licensing statute. Florida Statute 489.113 requires a contractor to subcontract electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and roofing work unless the contractor holds a state license in that trade. For a roofer, that means the electrical work on a solar detach and reinstall goes to a licensed electrical contractor, or to a licensed solar contractor whose scope includes it, unless the roofer also holds one of those licenses.
The same rule runs the other way. An electrical contractor who wants to handle the roofing side of a reinstall on an existing roof needs a roofing license or a licensed roofer on the job. The law does not favor one trade over the other. It asks that each part of the work be done by someone licensed for it. Who is allowed to do each part of a detach and reinstall, and why, is covered in more detail at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/post/who-can-remove-reinstall-solar-florida
3. How Roofers Handle This Correctly
Plenty of roofing companies across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Manatee counties do solar re-roofs the right way, and the way they do it is simple: they partner with a licensed solar or electrical contractor. The partner disconnects the array before the tear-off, the roofer replaces the roof, the partner reconnects the array and pulls the solar permit under its own license, and the roofer pulls the roofing permit under his. Two licenses, two permits, one job.
From the homeowner's side, a roofer who works this way will name the partner without being asked twice, because the partner is part of the quote. Fused Solar and Roofing is that partner for a number of Tampa Bay roofing companies, and we also do the whole job ourselves when a homeowner comes to us first, because we hold the roofing license and the electrical license under one roof.
💡 Pro Tip: When a roofer quotes a re-roof with solar, ask who the solar partner is and get their license number. A roofer with a standing partner answers in one breath.
4. Why the Electrical Part Is Not a Small Thing
It is tempting to think of the electrical side as a few connectors. It is more than that. A solar array produces DC power whenever there is daylight, the inverter converts it to AC, and the system is tied into the home's electrical service and, through the meter, to the utility. Rapid shutdown equipment sits in that path so the array can be de-energized at the roof. Disconnecting all of it safely, keeping it safe while the roof is open, and reconnecting it so it is correct and inspectable is a licensed electrician's work for good reason.
The reconnection is also what the inspector checks under the solar permit, and it is what the utility relies on when it allows the system to operate again. When the electrical work is done by someone without the license, there is usually no solar permit and no inspection, which means no independent record that the system was checked before it went live. Fused Solar and Roofing handles the electrical side of every detach and reinstall under its own electrical license, whether we are the roofer or a roofer's partner.
Replacing a roof that has solar on it? Fused Solar and Roofing holds the roofing and electrical licenses to remove, store, and reinstall your system under one contract and one set of permits across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Manatee counties. Request a detach and reinstall quote at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-panel-removal
5. The Permits Tell You Who Did What
A re-roof with solar in Tampa Bay normally carries two permits: a roofing permit for the roof and a separate solar permit for the reinstall. Florida Building Code section 105.1 requires a permit to alter, repair, or replace an electrical or structural system, and the reinstall does both. The roofing permit is pulled under the roofer's license. The solar permit is pulled under the electrical or solar contractor's license.
That makes the permits a clean way to confirm the licensing. If the solar permit is pulled under an EC or CVC license number, the electrical work was done by someone licensed for it. If there is no solar permit, or the roofer says none is needed, the electrical work has no licensed name on it. Permit requirements are set by the local authority having jurisdiction and vary from one jurisdiction to another, but the solar reinstall being permitted work does not vary in Tampa Bay. Whether a permit is required for the solar, and what the inspector checks, is covered at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/post/solar-removal-reinstall-permit-florida
⚠️ Warning: If there is a roofing permit but no solar permit on a re-roof with solar, the electrical work has no licensed contractor's name on it and no inspection on record.
6. What the Homeowner Carries If It Is Done Wrong
When the electrical side is handled by someone without the license and without a permit, the consequences split. For the contractor, working outside the scope of a license and failing to pull a required permit are both matters for the state licensing board. Under Florida Statute 489.129, failing to obtain a required permit is a ground for disciplinary action against a contractor's license.
For the homeowner, there is no final inspection on record for the solar work. The permit history on a home is a public record, and a roof permit with nothing to match it is visible to anyone who looks. A missing final inspection is a question the homeowner, not the contractor, will have to answer later. That does not mean the system is unsafe or cannot run. It means there is no independent record that it was checked, and the gap belongs to the homeowner.
7. How to Check a Roofer's License and the Partner's
Every Florida contractor license can be looked up free on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation website by name or license number. Roofing licenses begin with CCC. Electrical contractor licenses begin with EC. Solar contractor licenses begin with CVC. Look up the roofer and look up the partner, and check that each license is current and matches the work each one is doing. Two minutes covers both.
It is fair to check us the same way. Fused Solar and Roofing is an EnergySage Elite Installer with a 5.0/5 rating and 21+ verified reviews, independent verification, earned not purchased, and all three of our licenses are on the state site under our name.
📌 Key Takeaway: Look up the roofer's CCC license and the solar partner's EC or CVC license on the state site. Both should be current, and both names should match the permits.
8. Three Questions for Your Roofer
Before the roof comes off, three questions settle it. Who is doing the electrical side of the solar, and what is their license number? Who is pulling the solar permit, and will I get the number before work starts? And will both the roofing permit and the solar permit show a passed final inspection before I make the last payment? A roofer who works with a licensed partner answers all three easily. A roofer who hesitates on the first one is telling you something. Fused Solar and Roofing is a licensed roofing (CCC1331058), electrical (EC13014750), and building contractor (CBC1252064), all three in-house, so when a homeowner in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, or Manatee County asks us these questions, every answer is the same company.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can a roofer legally remove and reinstall solar panels in Florida?
A roofing contractor is licensed for the roofing part: removing the attachments from the old roof and flashing and sealing new attachments into the new roof. The electrical part, disconnecting and reconnecting the array, is electrical contracting, and Florida requires a roofer to subcontract it to a licensed electrical or solar contractor unless the roofer also holds that license. Roofers across Tampa Bay handle this correctly by partnering with one.
2. Does a roofer need an electrical license to disconnect solar panels?
To do the electrical work himself, yes. Otherwise the electrical work goes to a licensed electrical contractor or a licensed solar contractor whose scope includes it, and that contractor pulls the solar permit under its own license.
3. Can a roofer just unplug the panels and set them aside?
Disconnecting a solar array involves DC and AC circuits and rapid shutdown equipment and is electrical contracting under Florida law, regardless of how simple it looks. It is work for the licensed electrical or solar contractor on the job.
4. How do I know if my roofer's solar partner is licensed?
Ask for the partner's name and license number, then look it up on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation website. The license should be current and should begin with EC or CVC. The same name should appear on the solar permit.
5. What if my roofer says no permit is needed for the solar?
In Tampa Bay, the solar reinstall is normally permitted separately from the roof because it alters the electrical system and the structural attachments. The local authority having jurisdiction decides the details, but a homeowner should expect a solar permit with its own final inspection. If none is planned, ask why before work starts.
6. Can one company do both the roof and the solar under its own licenses?
Yes, if it holds both a roofing license and an electrical license. Fused Solar and Roofing holds both, along with a building license, and performs detach and reinstall work across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Manatee counties both directly for homeowners and as the licensed solar partner for roofing companies.
Fused Solar and Roofing is a licensed roofing (CCC1331058) and electrical (EC13014750) contractor performing solar detach and reinstall for roof replacements across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Manatee counties, including for roofing companies who need a licensed solar partner. Request a quote at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-panel-removal
Need your solar removed and reinstalled for a new roof? Request a quote at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-panel-removal
