Solar Panel Removal in Orlando: What It Involves, Who Can Do It, and What It Costs

Solar Panel Removal Orlando: What the Job Actually Involves

Homeowners across Orlando call about panel removal for a few common reasons. The roof under the panels needs to be replaced. The system never got Permission to Operate (PTO) from the utility, so it has never legally produced power. Or the installer went out of business and nobody is left to service it.

Whatever the reason, removal is not just unbolting hardware. Done right, it is an electrical job, a roofing job, and a permit job all at once.

• Utility notice and disconnect. Your utility — OUC in Orlando, Duke Energy in Sanford, Apopka, Winter Park, and Clermont, or KUA in Kissimmee — should know the system is coming offline.
• Safe electrical shutdown. Panels make power whenever sunlight hits them. The system has to be de-energized before anyone touches the wiring.
• Panel and racking removal. Panels come off first, then the rails, then the mounts bolted into your roof.
• Sealing every penetration. Each mount leaves lag bolt holes through the roof. Every single one must be patched and sealed.
• Haul-off or storage. Panels get recycled, disposed of, or stored if they might go back up after a re-roof.

Why Licensed Removal Matters in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties

In Central Florida, solar work usually needs a permit. The City of Orlando and Orange County each run their own permitting offices. So do Osceola and Seminole counties. Pulling that permit generally requires a licensed contractor.

Skipping the permit can bite you later. Unpermitted work can surface during a home sale inspection. It can complicate insurance claims. And a botched disconnect can leave live wiring on your roof.

qualified, licensed local roofing contractors holds both a Florida solar contractor license (state-licensed) and a roofing contractor license (state-licensed). That matters because solar panel removal in Orlando is really two trades in one: the electrical side and the roof side.

Tile vs. Shingle: Central Florida Roofs Are Not All the Same

Tile roofs are common in neighborhoods like Lake Nona, Hunter's Creek, Dr. Phillips, and Windermere. Tile is brittle. Crews have to walk it carefully, and mounts are often tied into the roof deck underneath the tile. Broken tiles need to be matched and replaced — and matching older tile can take time.

Shingle roofs dominate older areas like Conway, Azalea Park, and much of Kissimmee and Sanford. Shingle removal is usually simpler, but every mount still leaves holes behind. If the shingles are near the end of their life, patching may not be worth it. Replacing the roof at the same time is often the smarter move.

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The Roof Repair Step Most Quotes Leave Out

A cheap removal quote often covers only the unbolting. It skips the part that actually protects your home: fixing the roof. Every standoff and lag bolt is a hole through your roofing material — sometimes dozens of them across the array.

• Each penetration needs proper patching, not just a dab of sealant.
• Flashing around former mount points may need replacement.
• On tile, cracked or slipped tiles have to be swapped out.
• If the roof deck was damaged, it must be repaired before anything else happens.

Because we hold a roofing license, the repair step is part of the same job — not a second contractor and a second bill.

What Solar Panel Removal Costs in Orlando

Third-party cost sites like Fixr and HowMuch put removal at roughly $150 to $300 per panel. Those are their national numbers, not ours. They are a useful ballpark, but Central Florida jobs vary a lot.

• Roof type — tile takes longer and carries more breakage risk than shingle.
• Panel count and layout — one clean array is faster than panels spread across three roof planes.
• System condition — a damaged or half-finished install needs extra care.
• Whether the panels go back up later or get hauled away.
• How much roof repair the mounts leave behind.

We do not price removal off a chart. Every solar panel removal quote we give in Orlando follows an actual inspection of your roof and your system.

One Warning Before You Remove Anything: Check for a PACE Loan

If your system was financed with a PACE loan — often through Ygrene — the assessment sits as a non-ad valorem line on your Orange, Osceola, or Seminole county tax bill. It stays there after the panels come off, and it survives a home sale.

Many Central Florida homeowners first learned about their PACE assessment from an escrow statement, not from their installer. Before you spend money on removal, find out exactly what you owe and how it is structured. A newer Florida law (SB 770) lets homeowners prepay PACE agreements signed on or after July 1, 2024 without a penalty; older agreements depend on the contract. In some cases involving forgery, fraud, or cancellation-rights violations, a court may even void a PACE deal. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice — but we can help you document what happened and refer you to an attorney, with no fee for the referral.

Installer Gone? Document First, Remove Second

Central Florida has been hit hard by solar company failures. Titan Solar went bankrupt in June 2024. ADT shut down its solar division in 2024. SunPower filed Chapter 11 in 2024, and its new owner did not take on older warranties. Freedom Forever — once the #2 installer in the country — filed Chapter 11 in April 2026. If one of these companies installed your system, your warranty and service path may be gone.

That is why documentation comes first. Our program starts with a $497 Phase 1 documentation package, which gets credited back if you move forward with the work. We now have a rep based right in the Orlando area who does in-person Phase 1 visits across Central Florida — so you do not have to climb up and inventory the system yourself.

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Ready to Get the Panels Off the Right Way?

If you are searching for solar panel removal in Orlando, start with a conversation, not a contract. We will look at your roof, your system, and your financing, then map out the cleanest path — licensed, permitted, and sealed up right.