Roofing and Solar:
One Company or Two?

The Short Answer

You need a good roofer for the roof and a licensed contractor for the panels. That can be one company or two. What decides whether the job goes well is the order the work happens in, and who is on the hook for each part, in writing.

What We Do, and What We Don't

We are a roofing contractor, C39 licensed. We don't sell or design solar systems. When panels have to come off so we can replace a roof or fix a leak under the array, it goes one of two ways. We arrange it with a licensed C-10 electrical contractor, or your solar company handles it directly. Both work. Which one makes sense depends on who owns the panels and what your solar warranty says.

Why the Panels Go to a Licensed Solar or Electrical Contractor

Taking panels off means disconnecting them from your electrical system. Putting them back means reconnecting it. That is electrical work, not roofing. In California it goes to a licensed solar contractor (C-46) or electrical contractor (C-10), and some cities spell that out right on their paperwork for a solar removal and reinstall. A roofing crew unplugging your array to save a phone call is not a shortcut you want.

Check Two Things Before Anyone Touches the Panels

• Who owns them. If you lease the panels or buy the power under a PPA, the solar company owns the system. They decide who removes it and how. Call them first.
• What your solar warranty says. Some solar warranties require the original installer, or one they approve, for a removal and reinstall. If that is you, let your solar company do it so you keep that warranty.

If you own the system outright and the warranty allows it, we line up the C-10 for you and keep both crews on one schedule.

How the Job Runs

1. The panels come off right before we start, not weeks ahead.
2. We do the roof. On a replacement that is tear-off, deck inspection, underlayment, new flashings and the roofing itself. On a leak under the array, it is at least the whole section under those panels, not two tiles, because you can't warranty work you can't fully see.
3. Every mount goes back with the flashing its manufacturer calls for. On tile that means a flashing at the tile and a flashing at the deck.
4. The panels go back on and get reconnected. Some cities want their own permit or inspection for the reinstall. That is part of the panel work, so ask who is pulling it.

Who Covers What

This is the part people skip, and it is the part that matters the day something leaks. Our workmanship warranty, 10 years on a replacement, covers the roof we install. The panel removal and reinstall, the mounts, and the holes they put in the roof belong to whoever did that work. Get it in writing before the job starts.

On a recent job where the homeowner's solar company handled the panels, we wrote it right into the agreement: the solar company removing and reinstalling the panels does not void our workmanship warranty, and leaks caused by their mounts or roof penetrations are on their work, not ours. Clear lines like that are what keep two companies from pointing at each other later.

If You Haven't Gone Solar Yet

If your roof has fewer than 10 good years left, do the roof first. Panels last a long time, and paying to take them off and put them back in five years is money you didn't have to spend. The longer version is in Roof First, Then Solar. Always., and what to watch for under the array is in Solar Panels and Your Roof.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign

• Who is removing and reinstalling the panels, and what license do they hold?
• Do I own the system, or does the solar company?
• Does my solar warranty require the original installer for a removal and reinstall?
• Who warrants the mounts and the roof penetrations after the panels go back on?
• Which underlayment goes under the array, by name?