Who may repair a solar system in Texas
TDLR licenses electrical contractors for repairing or altering conductors that carry power, and Houston's solar permit page names Occupations Code Chapter 1305, the electricians chapter, as its authority. Ask for the TDLR electrical contractor license number before a technician opens an inverter or a combiner box, and don't open either one yourself.
A homeowner may do electrical work on a dwelling they own and live in without the state license, and TDLR notes that cities may have their own rules.
What a repair visit costs in Texas: the model
A solar repair visit is $310 to $1,050 per repair visit in our model. The model begins with one national range, adds 15 percent to each end and applies Texas's solar installer wage ratio of 0.91; it leaves out permit fees and takes off no federal credit.
Replacement parts, roof work and a return trip are outside the model. No company has quoted it, so treat the range as a way to spot a quote that is far off.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $310 to $1,050 per repair visit | 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.
The company that sold the system
Since September 1, 2025, TDLR has registered residential solar retailers, and a registered retailer carries general liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. If your system was sold after that date, the seller should have a registration number, and if it's still under the contract warranty, call that company first so a repair elsewhere doesn't put the warranty in question.
In San Antonio, CPS Energy's rooftop solar page asks owners to add the system to their homeowner's insurance at full replacement cost.
What you can see from the ground or the app
The monitoring app or the inverter display shows an error code or a gap in production. Note the code, the date and the time, and have the contract, the warranty papers and your latest utility bill beside you when you call.
How a gap shows up on the bill depends on your provider, because Texas doesn't mandate net metering. Austin Energy meters production and credits it at its Value of Solar rate, El Paso Electric nets generation against use for most solar customers, and in areas with a choice of retailer the buyback sits in your contract with that retailer, as the PUCT puts it.
When a repair becomes an inverter question
Oncor's installer page describes certified systems as inverter-based units listed to UL 1741, and PUCT rule 25.212 sets the technical requirements for parallel operation. If the technician says the inverter itself failed, the replacement page covers that job. Ask what the diagnostic fee is, whether it's credited toward the repair and what the warranty covers after the fix.
Permits and utility notice for a repair
Houston's and Lubbock's fee rows are for solar permits and don't separate a repair, so ask your permit office whether the fix needs an electrical permit once the technician has named the work. If the repair changes the system's size or equipment, ask your utility whether the interconnection agreement needs updating; El Paso Electric, for one, lists a $42.50 expansion application.
When a solar problem is an emergency
- Smoke, flame, sparks or a burning smell from the inverter, panels or wiring: call 911 and keep everyone away from the equipment.
- Production is below what you expected, or the monitoring app is offline.
- A panel has a crack and nothing is hot or smoking.
Check these before you send the form.
- Smoke, a burning smell or fire at the inverter, the panels or the wiring? Call 911.
- Will the roof need replacing while the panels are on it? Taking panels off and putting them back is its own job with its own cost, so the quote isn't worth getting yet.
- Is most of the roof shaded for much of the day? Then hold off, because heavy shade is a reason a quote isn't worth getting yet.
- Does a pitch promise no electric bill, free solar or no upfront cost? Ask for the total price including financing in writing, and don't sign before you have it.
- None of those, and you want a price for panels, a battery or a repair? The normal form is fine, and the quote guide lists what to compare.
A yes to the first question means calling 911 first. If it's the second or third, settle the roof or the shade first, and if it's the fourth, ask for the total price in writing before you agree to anything.
What to gather before a repair call
- Photograph the inverter display or the app's error code.
- Find the contract, the warranty papers and the date of installation.
- Compare a week of app output with your utility bill and note any gap.
Permits and notices for solar repairs
Whether a repair needs a city permit depends on what the technician finds. Ask the building department about the particular fix.
A repair that changes equipment may touch your interconnection agreement, so ask your utility.
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 a solar repair in Texas?
Ask for a TDLR electrical contractor license number. Houston's solar permit page names the electricians chapter, and the company that sold the system may also be bound by its warranty.
Can I fix my own solar wiring in Texas?
The state exempts a homeowner wiring a dwelling they own and live in, but we don't advise opening equipment. Cities can have their own rules, and an opened inverter can be unsafe.
What should I check before calling a repair company?
The app or inverter display, the warranty and the utility bill. Write down any error code and the date production dropped.
Will a repair change my utility agreement?
Only if it changes equipment or size, so ask your utility. El Paso Electric lists a $42.50 expansion application for a system that grows.
- 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.
- TDLR: Electrical exemptions Read Oct 24, 2026.
- TDLR: Texas Residential Solar Retailers program, laws and rules Read Oct 28, 2026.
- CPS Energy: Rooftop Solar (residential) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Texas Utilities Code 39.916 (legacy host, Wayback copy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Austin Energy: Value of Solar Rate; For Your Home (solar rebate) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- El Paso Electric: Texas Interconnection of Facilities up to 10 MW Read Oct 24, 2026.
- PUCT: Solar (consumer help) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Oncor: for installers Read Oct 24, 2026.
- PUCT Substantive Rule 25.211 (PDF); 25.212 PDF; PUCT DG page Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Houston Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Lubbock Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City pages (Dallas SFB 204; Houston HPWCODE1119; Denton) Read Oct 24, 2026.