Homeowner Liability If a Roofer Damages Solar Panels During a Reroof

Who Is on the Hook When a Reroof Damages a Solar System

The default answer surprises most homeowners: if a general roofing crew, not a licensed solar contractor, damages an existing solar system while working on a reroof, the homeowner can end up responsible for the repair or replacement cost, not the roofer. Most roofing companies are not licensed solar contractors, and standard roofing-contractor insurance is not necessarily scoped to cover solar-equipment damage the way a solar contractor’s own policy would be (Fraser Roofing). A roofer’s insurance protects against roofing mistakes. It does not automatically extend to the solar array sitting on top of the work.

The Three Ways This Gets Worse Than a Repair Bill

Industry guidance identifies three specific, compounding exposures when a roofer, rather than a licensed solar installer, handles panel removal and reinstallation during a reroof. First, a voided manufacturer equipment warranty on the panels themselves, a separate risk from the roof’s own shingle warranty. Second, permit violations, since disconnecting and reconnecting a solar system’s electrical components commonly requires a licensed electrical or solar contractor, not a general roofing license. Third, potential insurance gaps if damage happens mid-project and neither the roofer’s nor the homeowner’s policy clearly covers the panels while they are detached (RoofTech).

Why a General Roofing License Does Not Cover This

The permit issue is the one homeowners least expect. Removing and reinstalling solar panels is not purely mechanical work. It involves disconnecting and reconnecting electrical components tied to the home’s service panel and the utility interconnection, work that commonly falls under licensed electrical or solar-contractor scope in most jurisdictions, not general roofing. A roofing crew that removes panels without pulling the right permit, or without the right license class doing the electrical portion, can create a compliance problem on top of whatever physical damage occurs, one that surfaces later at inspection or at resale, not immediately on the job site.

What Should Have Happened: Keeping the Trades Separated

Standard industry practice keeps the two trades strictly separated by scope: the roofer handles only the roofing work, and a licensed solar technician handles all panel removal, storage, and reinstallation. Confirming in advance which party’s insurance, the solar contractor’s liability policy or the homeowner’s own policy, covers the panels while they are detached and in storage during the reroof closes the gap this whole risk depends on (RoofTech). When that separation does not happen, usually because a homeowner hired a roofer without thinking to loop in a solar contractor first, the three risks above stop being theoretical.

What to Ask Before a Reroof Begins

Before scheduling a reroof on a home with an existing solar system, a homeowner should get three things confirmed in writing: who is physically removing and reinstalling the panels, and whether that person or company is a licensed solar contractor, not just a roofing crew, whose insurance covers the panels while they are off the roof, and whether the panel manufacturer’s equipment warranty requires a specific process or approved installer for removal and reinstallation to stay valid. None of this is complicated to ask. It is just rarely asked before the crew is already on the roof.

Sources

The external data in this article draws on the sources below. Figures described in the text as estimates or industry triangulations are directional and are not attributed to a single dataset.

• Fraser Roofing, can roofers remove and reinstall solar panels
• RoofTech, solar panel removal and reinstall during a roof replacement

FAQ