I recently attended a FlaSEIA Beyond the Summit technical session in Fort Myers focused entirely on solar panel removals and reinstallations. The room was full of licensed solar contractors, and the conversation was revealing. Contractor after contractor admitted that they do not pull permits for solar reinstallation work after a reroof. I sat there and listened. The overall sense was that most companies are not pulling permits. Some do it selectively, especially when existing engineering is available for the current code cycle and the process is relatively painless. But for the majority of jobs, the permit is being skipped.
That is a problem. But the reasons behind it are more complicated than you might think.
Solar Panel Removal and Reinstallation Requires a Permit
Let me be clear up front. In Lee, Charlotte, and Collier Counties, reinstalling solar panels on a roof after a reroof requires a full building permit. That permit requires signed and sealed engineering drawings from a licensed Florida Professional Engineer, a comprehensive plan review by the local authority having jurisdiction, and inspections. This is not optional. It is not a gray area. It is the law.
The removal itself typically does not require a permit. But the moment those panels go back on the roof, you are establishing structural connections to the building, reconnecting electrical wiring, and reactivating a power-producing system that ties into the grid. That work requires a permit, and that permit can only be pulled by a licensed solar contractor (CVC) or a licensed electrical contractor (EC).
Not a roofer. Not a handyman. Not someone who saw a YouTube video and bought a cordless drill.
Terminology Matters More Than You Think
Before we go further, we need to untangle a terminology problem that confuses homeowners and even some contractors. In the roofing trade, “R&R” means removal and replacement — tear off the old roof, put on a new one. In the solar trade, “R&R” has come to mean removal and reinstallation — take the panels off, let the roofer do their work, put the same panels back on.
These are very different things. Solar panel removal and replacement — swapping old panels for new ones — is relatively uncommon. Removal and reinstallation is the bread and butter of what happens when a homeowner with solar needs a new roof. And in Florida, where roofs take a beating from hurricanes, salt air, and relentless UV, reroofing happens on a shorter cycle than in most of the country. That means removal and reinstallation work is booming.
You will also hear contractors and homeowners use the phrase “detach and reset.” Same thing. Panels come off, roof gets done, panels go back on. Whatever you call it, it requires a licensed contractor and a permit.
The Unlicensed Contractor Problem
As more homes in Southwest Florida have solar — and more of those homes need new roofs — a cottage industry of unlicensed operators has sprung up to handle the solar removal and reinstallation side of the job. Some are roofers who tack it on as an add-on service. Some are handymen. Some are companies that have built entire business models around detach and reset work without pulling permits, without engineering, and in many cases without the proper contractor licenses.
Some of these companies will tell homeowners that no permit is needed. That it is just “maintenance.” That because the panels are going back in the same spot, it is not really construction work. That is wrong.
Under Florida law, solar work can only be performed by a licensed solar contractor (CVC) or a licensed electrical contractor (EC). Roofers are explicitly not authorized to remove, reinstall, or handle solar panels or the associated electrical components. Period. If a reinstallation is done without a permit and without a licensed contractor, the homeowner is left holding the bag if something goes wrong down the road.
Why the Permit Process Is Broken
Now here is where I am going to say something that might surprise you, given everything I just wrote. I think the current permit requirements for a straightforward solar reinstallation are excessive. And I am not alone. That FlaSEIA room full of licensed contractors agreed almost unanimously.
Right now, reinstalling solar panels after a reroof requires the same level of engineering, plan review, and inspection as a brand new solar installation. Signed and sealed structural engineering. A full plan set. Weeks of plan review by the local building department. For a system that was already permitted, already engineered, already inspected, and is going back in the same location on the same type of roof.
Compare that to the roofing permit itself. A roofer can walk into the building department and get an over-the-counter roofing permit in minutes. No plan review. No engineering. Just pull the permit and go. Meanwhile, the solar contractor putting the same panels back on the same roof has to go through a process that takes weeks and costs the homeowner hundreds or thousands of dollars in engineering fees alone.
That disparity does not make sense. And it is one of the biggest reasons so many contractors skip the permit altogether. I am not excusing it. I am explaining it.
The Inspection Is a Joke
Here is the part that really gets me. After all the engineering, all the plan review, all the fees and the waiting, do you know what the actual structural inspection looks like for a solar reinstallation?
Nothing. That is what it looks like.
Most authorities having jurisdiction do not even inspect the structural attachments. You are lucky if the inspector looks up at the roof. The “inspection” consists of the solar contractor signing a notarized affidavit stating that the panels were installed according to the engineered specifications. The building department collects that piece of paper, stamps their file, and calls it done.
Let me say that again. The building department requires a full permit with professional engineering, charges fees for plan review and inspections, and then does absolutely nothing to verify the structural attachment is correct. They shift the entire liability to the contractor through a signed affidavit. That is the extent of the structural oversight.
So we have a system where the permit process is onerous, the fees are real, the timeline is weeks long, and the actual inspection has no useful effect beyond putting the onus on the contractor to say they did what they were supposed to do. Does that make sense? It does not. And it is why the compliance rate in this industry is abysmal.
What FlaSEIA Has Been Pushing For
The Florida Solar Energy Industries Association has been lobbying for a more reasonable approach to solar reinstallation permits. The goal is straightforward: when a licensed solar contractor is putting panels back in the same location, on the same roof type, with no significant changes to the structural or electrical design, the permit should be an over-the-counter process. No full plan review. No new engineering. A streamlined permit that acknowledges the system was already approved once and is being restored to its original configuration.
That is a reasonable position. A licensed solar contractor should be able to look at the original installation, verify the components are in good condition, replace the mounting hardware and flashing, and reinstall the panels to the original specifications without going through the same process as a new installation.
Unfortunately, that language has not made it into Florida law. Proposed amendments to streamline the R&R permitting process were stricken during the legislative process. The result is that we are stuck with the full permit requirement, and the industry is left with a system that incentivizes skipping the rules rather than following them.
The mere fact that FlaSEIA is pursuing charges to legislation acknowledges that permits are currently required. FlaSEIA members should take note and comply. The ethical high is an indication of a good contractor
Florida did pass HB 683 in 2025, which streamlined solar permitting broadly with five-day approval timelines and private inspection options. That helps with new installations. But it did not specifically address the unique situation of reinstallations after reroofing, where the system is going back exactly as it was.
National Code Changes May Help Eventually
There is some movement at the national level that could trickle down. At the NABCEP Continuing Education Conference in Milwaukee last week, I sat through a session on proposed changes to the International Building Code for the 2027 edition. Proposal S45-25 would add a new Section 1512.5 to the IBC, specifically addressing reinstallation of PV panel systems after roof repair or replacement.
The proposed language would allow existing rooftop PV systems that were approved under previous code requirements to be reinstalled without being forced to comply with the current building code, provided certain conditions are met. The system must be reinstalled according to the manufacturer’s instructions and the minimum requirements of the code edition under which it was originally permitted. It must go back in the same approved location. Components cannot be reused unless they are in good working condition and approved. And all single-use mounting components — flashing, hardware, lag bolts — must be replaced per the manufacturer’s instructions.
This is a big deal. The effort started as a white paper from the Sustainable Energy Action Committee (SEAC) and was championed by proponents from IREC, CALSSA, SEIA, and NASFM. It took two code development cycles to work through opposition testimony and committee hearings. There is one more public comment period to resolve before the language is expected to appear in the 2027 editions of the IBC, IRC, and IEBC.
The most important part: where adopted, PV systems would not be required to be modified or replaced to meet updated requirements for rapid shutdown or rooftop fire setback rules. That is huge. Right now, some jurisdictions are interpreting the reinstallation as triggering a full code upgrade, which means a system originally installed under the 2017 NEC might be forced to comply with NEC 2023 rapid shutdown requirements just because it was temporarily removed for a reroof. That makes an already expensive process even more expensive and discourages homeowners from maintaining both their roofs and their solar systems.
Of course, even when the 2027 I-Codes are published, Florida will not adopt them immediately. The Florida Building Code operates on its own adoption cycle, and it typically takes years for new model code language to make its way into Florida law. So do not expect relief tomorrow. But the direction is encouraging.
What Homeowners Should Do Right Now
If you have solar panels and you need a new roof, here is what you need to know.
First, hire a licensed solar contractor or electrical contractor to handle the removal and reinstallation. Your roofer handles the roof. Your solar contractor handles the solar. These are separate trades with separate licenses, and there is a reason for that.
Second, expect that a permit will be required for the reinstallation. In Lee, Charlotte, and Collier Counties, that means full engineering and plan review. Ask your solar contractor to confirm the permitting requirements for your specific jurisdiction before you sign a contract.
Third, be wary of any contractor who tells you no permit is needed for reinstallation. That is a red flag. If they are skipping the permit, what else are they skipping? Proper flashing? Torque specs on lag bolts? Electrical testing?
Fourth, keep your original solar permit documents, engineering drawings, and inspection records. If you cannot find them, your solar contractor or the local building department may be able to pull them from their records. Having the original engineering makes the reinstallation permit process faster and less expensive than starting from scratch.
Fifth, budget for the solar R&R as a separate line item from your roofing project. This is not a trivial cost. Between the removal, storage, reinstallation, new mounting hardware, engineering, permitting, and inspections, you could be looking at several thousand dollars depending on system size and complexity. But it is the cost of doing it right.
The Bottom Line
I believe solar contractors should be able to reinstall panels after a reroof with an over-the-counter permit when the system is going back in the same location with no significant structural or electrical changes. The current process is overkill. The inspections are a rubber stamp. The industry agrees it needs to change. FlaSEIA is fighting for it. National code bodies are writing language to support it. Eventually, we will get there.
But until the law changes, the law is the law. Every solar contractor should be pulling a permit for reinstallation work. Every homeowner should be demanding it. And every roofer, handyman, or unlicensed operator doing solar removal and reinstallation work without a license and a permit needs to be held to the same standard as the rest of us.
The rules should be simpler. But they should apply equally to everyone. If my company has to play by the rules — and we do — so does everyone else.
If you need solar panel removal and reinstallation for a reroof in Lee, Charlotte, or Collier County, Florida Solar Design Group handles this work with proper licensing, engineering, permitting, and inspections. Contact us at (239) 491-8010 contact us here.
