Solar · Checklist · Reviewed July 14, 2026
Solar, battery, and panel check
What to ask before you sign for roof solar, a home battery, or panel work.
The short version
The contract, permit, and utility approval are separate
A solar deal can be cash, a loan, a lease, or a power-purchase agreement, but the signed contract is only one lane. The installer needs the right license and local permit, and a grid-connected system also needs the utility's permission to operate. None of those steps alone tells you what the full deal costs or what the bill will be.
What changes the answer: For a qualifying home-improvement sale away from the contractor's office, the cancellation period is usually three business days, or five business days when the buyer is 65 or older. Some disaster-repair contracts get seven business days. Read the contract because exceptions exist.
Solar can touch the roof, electric panel, utility account, battery, fire rules, permits, and a long contract. Check each lane before you sign.
How it works
Ownership decides what you are buying
A cash purchase or solar loan usually leaves the homeowner owning the equipment. A lease leaves ownership with the solar company and charges for use. A power-purchase agreement charges for the electricity the system makes. Each deal handles repairs, insurance, tax benefits, roof work, and a home sale differently.
Read the total of payments, interest, dealer fees, rate increases, early payoff, transfer, removal, roof, and battery terms. A low monthly number can hide a long term or a large finance charge. Ask who owns the panels and battery on the first day and after the last payment.
The cancellation clock is short
The solar form must show the total cost, complaint help, and the right to cancel. A covered home-improvement or door-to-door deal usually gives three business days to cancel in writing. A buyer age 65 or older usually gets five business days. Work to repair or restore a home after a qualifying declared disaster usually gets seven business days. A deal made at the contractor's office may fall outside this rule.
Use the method in the contract and keep proof of the date. Do not assume every job under $750 loses the cancellation right. The service-and-repair exception requires a contract of $750 or less, contact started by the buyer, only the work reasonably needed for that problem, and no payment until the work is complete. If those conditions are not all met, ordinary home-improvement contract and cancellation rules can still apply.
Canceling the loan may not cancel the work contract. Canceling the work contract may not cancel the loan. Read both papers and ask CSLB about the exact cancellation rule before a deadline passes.
A large upfront payment is a warning
On a covered home-improvement contract, the down payment cannot be more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the price, whichever is less. Take a $30,000 solar contract. Ten percent is $3,000, so the normal down-payment cap is $1,000.
Later payments should not be more than the value of work done or supplies delivered. This still matters when a finance company sends the money. Tie each payment to a real step in the job. Check permit charges with the local office before paying a separate permit fee.
The license must fit the work
Do not assume a C-46 Solar license alone covers the battery. CSLB's published battery FAQ says a project that includes battery energy storage needs C-10, B, or A authority. A later CSLB battery regulation is temporarily stayed by a court order, so ask CSLB to confirm the exact contract scope. Roof work, frame work, a main-panel change, and a large remodel can need more license types.
Look up the exact business name and license number. Check the license type and status. Check the bond, workers' comp record, and salesperson too. A solar license does not cover every roof, panel, or battery task in a bid.
Inspection comes before permission to operate
The city or county reviews the building and electrical permit. The utility reviews interconnection and the rate arrangement. Passing the local inspection does not mean the system may export power. Wait for written permission to operate before treating the project as complete.
A battery also needs a plan for location, listing, capacity, fire access, shutdown, and backup loads. Some systems back up a few circuits. Others can carry most of the house. Ask for the backed-up circuit list and a live outage test instead of relying on the word whole-home.
Export credit is not the retail price
The large investor-owned power companies have used Net Billing for most new grid requests since April 15, 2023. Solar power serves the home first. Extra power sent to the grid is often worth less than the retail price. Some late-summer hours can pay more. A battery can save power for those hours.
City-owned power companies and other providers can use other plans. Ask your utility for the rate plan and charges that cannot be avoided. Ask about battery rules and each step needed to turn the system on. A sales chart is only an estimate. It is not a power bill.
The old 30-percent home credit ended for 2026 work
The IRS says the home clean-energy credit covered eligible solar and battery work through December 31, 2025. It is not open to property first put to use after that date. A 2026 bid should not subtract the old credit as if it still applies.
An older job, an unused past credit, business use, another tax plan, or a new law can change the answer. Keep the date when the system was ready for use. Ask a tax pro about the return. Do not let a tax guess hide the cash price or loan cost.
First moves
- 1
Find your utility, rate plan, last 12 months of bills, roof age, and main panel size.
- 2
Read the CPUC solar guide before you sign anything.
- 3
Mark the written cancellation deadline: usually three business days, five business days for a buyer age 65 or older, or seven business days for qualifying declared-disaster repair work when the home-improvement rule applies.
- 4
Ask the city or county what solar, battery, and panel permits are needed.
- 5
Ask the utility how to connect to the grid, what rate plan you will use, and when you can turn it on.
- 6
Ask if the roof is ready or if it needs work before panels go on.
- 7
Ask if the electric panel needs an upgrade or load change.
- 8
If you add a battery, ask where it can sit and what clearance rules apply near doors, windows, and heat.
- 9
If the permit office or utility asks, make sure the panels, inverter, or battery are on the CEC list.
- 10
Check the contractor license. Solar, electrical, roof, and battery work may not all use the same license.
Watch for
- 1
A savings estimate is not a bill promise. Bills, shade, loans, fees, and export credits can change the math.
- 2
The IRS says the Residential Clean Energy Credit is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. If a 2026 sales pitch promises that federal credit, check the IRS page before relying on it.
- 3
Permit approval is not the same as the utility saying you can turn the system on.
- 4
A battery may not back up the whole house unless it is planned that way.
- 5
A panel upgrade can add cost, time, and a separate inspection.
- 6
Roof age and leaks can turn a cheap bid into a costly project.
- 7
A lease, power-purchase agreement, loan, and cash purchase are not the same deal.
- 8
On a covered home-improvement contract, the ordinary down payment is no more than $1,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less.
- 9
Do not sign on a tablet or at the door until you have the full contract, disclosure, license number, and time to read.
Official sources
Where to confirm this
Use the source that matches the step you are on. Current forms, fees, deadlines, and agency decisions can change after this page is reviewed.
Use this as a map. It does not decide your rights, tell you what to file, or say someone broke the law. If a deadline, denial, eviction, firing, injury, tax bill, permit fight, or insurance dispute is on the line, use the official source or a licensed professional.