The order of a removal
A permanent removal starts at the electrical connection. TDLR licenses electrical contractors for altering conductors that carry power, and Houston's solar permit page names Occupations Code Chapter 1305, the electricians chapter, as the authority for its solar permits. Ask for the license number first, then for a written plan that covers the panels, the racking, the roof penetrations, the inverter and the wiring back to your panel.
Ask who patches the roof, who hauls the equipment and where it goes.
What solar removal costs in Texas: the model price
Our model puts a permanent removal at $3,075 to $10,400 per system removed for good (not put back). It starts from one national range, widens it 15 percent each side and applies Texas's solar installer wage ratio of 0.91. No permit fee is added and no federal credit applies, so it is an estimate and not a quote.
It doesn't include roof repair, a replacement roof or new wiring. Ask whether hauling and disposal are in the price.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $3,075 to $10,400 per system removed for good (not put back) | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Texas solar installer median wage ratio (0.91). Before any incentive: there is no federal credit for a system installed in 2026. Basis: no Texas company price for this job, so the national estimate stands. |
| Solar photovoltaic installer wage, Texas median | $23.19 an hour | O*NET 2025 median from BLS May 2025 data: what installers are paid, not what you are charged. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (1 source), adjusted by Texas's solar installer median wage ratio to the US (0.91, BLS May 2025), plus the city solar permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. One Texas 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 Texas company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.
Ending the utility agreement and the buyback
PUCT rule 25.211 has the customer sign an interconnection agreement before connecting, so there's an agreement to close. Oncor, for one, programs the meter at a solar home to measure surplus kWh flowing out. Ask your utility how to end the agreement and what happens to the meter.
The buyback ends with the system too. Texas doesn't mandate net metering, and the PUCT says the buyback rate is part of your contract with your electric provider, so ask your retailer how that part of your plan ends and whether the plan itself changes.
The city permit question
The Texas city rows here are for putting solar on: Houston's Solar Panel Permit, Lubbock's Solar or Other Alternative Energy Source Permit and Frisco's Solar Installations line. None of them names a removal, so ask your permit office whether disconnecting and taking the system down needs an electrical permit. There's no permit fee in the model.
A leased system, and the tax exemption
If a company owns the system, the lease or purchase contract decides who removes it and what it costs. TDLR's solar retailer registration covers businesses that lease residential systems as well as those that sell them, so ask that company for its registration number along with the removal terms.
Tax Code 11.27 exempts the appraised value a solar device adds when it's mainly for on-site use, and Form 50-123 is the application. Ask your appraisal district what it needs from you once the device is gone.
When a removal is an emergency
- Smoke, flame, sparks or a burning smell at the inverter, panels or cut wiring is a 911 call.
- A disconnected array still shows a monitoring error.
- The roof has a leak at a mounting point but nothing is hot.
What to gather before you call
- Find the interconnection agreement and the original contract.
- Photograph the array, the inverter and the meter.
- Ask for the written plan for the roof.
Permits and utility notice for removal
Ask the city whether a removal needs a permit, and ask the utility how to end the interconnection 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
Whose license covers taking solar off a Texas house?
Ask for a TDLR electrical contractor license number for the disconnect. Houston's solar permit page names Occupations Code 1305, the electricians chapter, as its authority.
Do I need to tell my utility if I remove solar?
Yes, ask the utility how to close the interconnection agreement. PUCT rule 25.211 has you sign that agreement before connecting, and your retailer's buyback terms end with the system.
Does removal change my property tax exemption?
Ask your appraisal district. Tax Code 11.27 exempts the value a solar device adds, and Form 50-123 is the application.
What if the system is leased?
The lease decides who removes it. Ask the leasing company for the removal terms and its TDLR retailer registration.
- O*NET OnLine (BLS May 2025 wage data): Solar photovoltaic installers (SOC 47-2231), Texas 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, Texas (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- TDLR: Apply for a New Electrical Contractor License; Houston Permitting Center HPWCODE1119 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- PUCT Substantive Rule 25.211 (PDF); 25.212 PDF; PUCT DG page Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Oncor: for installers Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Texas Utilities Code 39.916 (legacy host, Wayback copy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- PUCT: Solar (consumer help) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Houston Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Lubbock Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Frisco Read Oct 24, 2026.
- TDLR: Texas Residential Solar Retailers program, laws and rules Read Oct 28, 2026.
- Texas Comptroller: property tax exemptions; Tax Code 11.27 (legacy host, Wayback copy) Read Oct 24, 2026.