Getting a new roof in Tampa and there are solar panels in the way? We remove them, store them safely while your roofer works, and reinstall them properly once the new roof is on — permit pulled, system tested, production verified.
Your roofer probably can’t legally take the panels off
This is the part most Tampa homeowners find out too late. Florida licenses construction trades separately under Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes. A roofing contractor holds a CCC license. Solar work — including disconnecting and reconnecting a PV array — falls under a solar contractor (CVC) or electrical contractor (EC) license. A roofing license does not cover it.
That matters for three practical reasons:
- Your warranty. Most module and inverter manufacturers void coverage when unlicensed hands touch the array. So does most workmanship warranty language.
- Your permit. The jurisdiction expects the work to be done by a licensed contractor in the correct category. An improperly pulled permit can stall your certificate of completion.
- Your liability. If an uninsured crew damages a $12,000 array or someone gets hurt on your roof, the exposure lands on you.
Plenty of well-meaning roofers offer to “just pop them off.” We work alongside roofing contractors constantly and we like them — but the solar half of the job needs the solar license.
What Tampa and Hillsborough County actually require
In unincorporated Hillsborough County, a roof-mounted PV system is permitted through HillsGovHub as an Electrical Trade permit. A few specifics that catch people out:
- A recorded certified copy of the Notice of Commencement has to be on file before the first inspection can happen. Miss this and your inspection gets cancelled, not rescheduled.
- Plans need to show compliance with roof load, wind load, roof access pathways, and setbacks under the Florida Building Code.
- Electrical drawings need one-line or three-line diagrams covering conductor sizing, grounding, and the equipment electrode system.
- The applicant has to be licensed in the State of Florida in the appropriate category.
The City of Tampa runs its own building department, and other municipalities inside the county — Temple Terrace, Plant City — have their own processes. We handle the paperwork either way. It’s part of the job, not a line item you chase.
Worth knowing: Florida’s HB 683 in 2025 streamlined a lot of solar permitting statewide, but it did not specifically carve out reinstallation after a re-roof. Assume you need a permit, because in most Tampa Bay jurisdictions you do.
How a detach and reset actually runs
- Site assessment. We look at your array, mounting system, roof type, and inverter setup, and confirm what the reinstall will need.
- Permit. We pull it and coordinate with your roofer’s permit so the sequence works.
- Removal. Panels come off, get labeled by string position, and are stored flat and covered. Rails and flashing come off with them.
- Your roofer works. A clean deck, no panels to work around, no damage risk.
- Reinstall. New flashing and sealed penetrations — we do not reuse old boots. Panels return to their original string positions.
- Commissioning. System energized, inverter checked, production confirmed against what it was doing before we started.
The two visits are usually a few days apart, dictated by your roofer’s schedule rather than ours. We coordinate directly with them so you aren’t the middleman.
What we handle in Tampa
- PV panel removal and reinstallation for re-roofs (detach and reset)
- Panel removal for roof repairs and leak investigation
- Uninstall and relocation when you’re moving and taking the system with you
- Solar hot water collectors and pool solar blankets — genuinely few contractors in Tampa still service these
- Battery and Tesla Powerwall work alongside the reinstall
- Repairs, replacement modules, and inverter troubleshooting found during the reset
Who does the work
Colton Bland is our lead technician and holds Florida solar contractor license CVC57333. Sun Lift Solar is fully insured and can be bonded for specific jobs. We’re also one of the few true Tesla-certified installers in the state, and we’ve earned over 40 five-star Google reviews since 2023.
Our crews dispatch from Clearwater, about 30 minutes from most of Tampa depending on the bridge. That means we’re doing Tampa work constantly rather than treating it as an outlying market.
Landlords: don’t miss the tax credit angle
If the Tampa property is a rental, the roof-and-solar project may sit differently on your taxes than it would on a primary residence. We wrote up what changed for rental property owners — worth five minutes before you schedule.
Get a Tampa detach and reset quote
Tell us your roof type, panel count, and roofer’s timeline, and we’ll give you a firm number. Call (888) 872-9271 or request an estimate.
Also serving Brandon, Riverview, Lutz, Carrollwood, Temple Terrace, Plant City, and the wider Tampa Bay area. Roofing contractor? See our detach and reset program for roofers.