The Federal Floor: FTC's 3-Day Cooling-Off Rule
The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule, 16 CFR 429, gives buyers a 3-business-day right to cancel most in-home sales, including solar contracts signed in the homeowner's home. It is a federal floor, meaning every state has to allow at least this much, but states are free to extend it further, and several have.
For a national or multi-state solar sales program, treating 3 days as the universal standard is a mistake. It is the minimum, not the rule that applies everywhere.
Texas SB 1036: 5 Business Days, Every Financing Type Covered
Texas SB 1036, effective June 20, 2025, extends the cancellation window to 5 business days and explicitly covers cash, loan, lease, and PPA deals, not just one financing structure. The law was built with door-to-door and high-pressure sales tactics specifically in mind.
That financing-type breadth matters given how fast third-party ownership is growing: a cancellation law that only covered cash and loan deals would already be missing a large and rising share of solar contracts. SB 1036 does not have that gap.
Want this handled for you?
Exclusive, confirmed solar appointments. $300 setup + $249 per booked appointment.
Book a Solar CallGeorgia: 30 Business Days on Deals Over $10,000
Georgia's expanded consumer protection rule, effective July 1, 2023, gives buyers 30 business days to cancel solar sales over $10,000, leases longer than 120 months, or deals marketed as eligible for a tax credit. Thirty business days is a materially longer window than the federal floor or Texas's rule, and the dollar and lease-length thresholds mean it is written specifically with a typical residential solar contract in mind, not general home-improvement sales.
California: HSSA's 3-Day Rule (5 If the Buyer Is 65 or Older)
California's Home Solicitation Sales Act gives buyers 3 days to cancel an in-home sale, extended to 5 days if the buyer is 65 or older. The California Public Utilities Commission publishes an official California Solar Consumer Protection Guide covering this and other homeowner protections. HSSA's cancellation window sits closer to the federal floor than Texas or Georgia's rules, but California's broader solar sales environment, shaped heavily by NEM 3.0, adds context this guide does not cover; see the companion guide on selling solar in California after NEM 3.0 for that side of it.
What This Means for a Multi-State Sales Program
| Rule | Cancellation Window | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| FTC Cooling-Off Rule (federal floor) | 3 business days | In-home sales generally, including solar |
| Texas SB 1036 | 5 business days | Cash, loan, lease, and PPA deals; targets door-to-door and high-pressure sales |
| Georgia expanded consumer protection | 30 business days | Solar sales over $10,000, leases longer than 120 months, or ITC-marketed deals |
| California HSSA | 3 days (5 if buyer is 65+) | In-home solicitation sales, including solar |
A sales program running across states needs contract paperwork that reflects the correct cancellation window and scope per state, not one national template. Applying the shortest window everywhere risks a paperwork violation in states with a longer required disclosure.
What this means for you
- The FTC Cooling-Off Rule sets a 3-business-day federal floor for in-home solar sales, but it is a minimum, not a national standard.
- Texas SB 1036 (effective June 20, 2025) gives 5 business days and covers cash, loan, lease, and PPA deals alike.
- Georgia gives 30 business days to cancel solar sales over $10,000, leases longer than 120 months, or ITC-marketed deals.
- California's HSSA gives 3 days, 5 if the buyer is 65 or older, closer to the federal floor than Texas or Georgia's rules.
Sources
The external data in this guide 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.
- Letona Law, laws that apply to solar panels sold door to door
- Prevost Law Firm, Texas Senate Bill 1036
- Georgia Attorney General Consumer Protection Division, door-to-door sales
- CPUC, California Solar Consumer Protection Guide
- Kemnitzer, Barron & Krieg, solar panel and door-to-door sales scams