How a removal is sequenced
The electrical connection comes first. Section 489.105(3)(o) lists alteration and relocation among a solar contractor's services, and a contractor in another Chapter 489 category may work within that category's scope. Ask for the license number and category, then for a written plan covering the panels, racking, roof penetrations, inverter and the wiring back to the panel.
Settle who patches the roof, who hauls the equipment away and where it ends up.
Florida removal prices in the model
In the model a permanent removal is $3,225 to $10,900 per system removed for good (not put back). Its base is a single national range, widened by 15 percent on both ends and scaled by Florida's solar installer wage ratio of 0.95. The model adds no permit fee and no federal credit applies, so read it as an estimate and not a quote.
Roof repair, a replacement roof and new wiring are extra. Hauling and disposal should be named in the price.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $3,225 to $10,900 per system removed for good (not put back) | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Florida solar installer median wage ratio (0.95). Before any incentive: there is no federal credit for a system installed in 2026. Basis: no Florida company price for this job, so the national estimate stands. |
| Solar photovoltaic installer wage, Florida median | $24.30 an hour | Installer pay from O*NET's 2025 median (BLS May 2025 data); the company sets your price. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (1 source), adjusted by Florida's solar installer median wage ratio to the US (0.95, BLS May 2025), plus the city solar permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. One Florida installer publishes its own current price on its own page (Palmetto, per watt), too few to build a range from; the others print blog or market averages or dated figures, which we do not count. We have no Florida company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.
Closing out the utility agreement and the credits
Your utility signed an interconnection agreement for the system, so ask it how to close that agreement. Under Rule 25-6.065, unused credits carry for up to 12 months and are paid at calendar year end at an average annual rate based on the utility's COG-1 as-available tariff, and FPL applies any kWh still banked at the December meter reading to the December bill. Ask how a balance left when the system comes off will be settled.
At a city utility the terms are its own. OUC, for example, retires the solar bank from November 1, 2026 and credits exports straight to the account under TruNet Solar.
The building department
The local fee rows here, such as Lakeland's $72 and Hernando County's $180, are for installing photovoltaic systems, and none of them names a removal, so ask the building department whether the disconnect and removal need a permit. Section 553.79 has it post its application types online, and the model adds no permit fee.
If a company owns it, and your assessment
If a company owns the system, it's the lease or purchase contract that decides who removes it and what that costs, so get the removal terms in writing. For a system you own, section 193.624 keeps the device's just value out of your residential assessment; ask your property appraiser whether anything needs updating after the device is removed.
What can't wait during a removal
- Smoke, sparks, flame or a burning smell from the inverter, panels or cut wiring means dial 911.
- The monitoring app still shows an error after the array was disconnected.
- The roof leaks at a mounting point and nothing is hot.
What to note down before you call
- Locate the interconnection agreement and the contract you signed.
- Take photos of the array, inverter and meter.
- Request a written plan for the roof.
The building department and your utility, before removal
Ask your building department whether a removal needs a permit, and ask your utility how to end the agreement.
Ask for the company's contractor license number and look it up with your state's licensing board before you sign.
Questions people ask
Who's allowed to take a Florida system down?
A contractor holding a DBPR solar license, or another Chapter 489 license for work in its scope. Section 489.105(3)(o) lists relocation and alteration among a solar contractor's services.
Should my utility hear about a solar removal?
Yes, ask it how to close the interconnection agreement. Ask too how any unused credit will be settled, since Rule 25-6.065 pays unused credits at year end.
My system is leased, so who takes it off?
Your lease sets who removes it. Get the company's removal terms on paper before anyone schedules the work.
What does my property appraiser need after the panels come off?
Ask your property appraiser. Section 193.624 keeps a residential device's value out of the assessment.
- O*NET OnLine (BLS May 2025 wage data): Solar photovoltaic installers (SOC 47-2231), Florida statewide, median hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- O*NET OnLine (BLS May 2025 wage data): Solar photovoltaic installers (SOC 47-2231), United States (national), median hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- SolarPanelMatch: how we estimate costs, Florida (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- DBPR CILB: construction industry licence categories; s. 489.105 F.S. Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Administrative Code Rule 25-6.065: Interconnection and Metering of Customer-Owned Renewable Generation Read Oct 26, 2026.
- FPL net metering Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 interconnection agreements; FPL net metering page Read Oct 24, 2026.
- OUC: Rooftop Solar / Net Metering Solar PV Program Read Oct 28, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Lakeland Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Spring Hill Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 553.79, 553.791 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 193.624 Read Oct 24, 2026.