Learning Center · Solar
Solar Panel Detach and Reset During a Roof Replacement
A roof cannot be replaced under a solar array. The panels and racking come off, the roof is rebuilt, and the system goes back on and is tested. This guide explains each step, who is allowed to do it in Texas, what the code requires at every mount, and how to plan the cost.
Updated October 12, 2026
Read This First
The short version
- Detach and reset means the panels and racking come off before tear-off, the roof is replaced, and the array is reinstalled and tested.
- Texas law requires a licensed electrical contractor for the electrical work. The roofer handles the roof, the mounts and the order of work.
- Every mount is a roof penetration, and the code requires each one to be flashed and sealed like any other.
- Plan on $255 to $545 per panel for detach and reset, as a separate line from the roof itself.
Before you schedule a re-roof on a solar home, start with Get Help or call or text 512-575-5052.
Short version: 2 min. Full page: 9 min. Want the detail? Each section below opens with a tap, or switch to Full at the top to open them all.
Direct Answer
What is solar panel detach and reset?
The array comes off, the roof is replaced, and the array goes back on, flashed and tested.
The short definition
Detach and reset is the removal and reinstallation of a solar array so the roof under it can be replaced. The system is shut down and disconnected, the panels and the racking rails come off, and the mounts are pulled. The old roof is torn off, the deck is checked, and the new roof goes on. New mounts are set into the rafters and flashed, the rails and panels go back, and the system is reconnected and tested. The roof replacement itself is covered in our solar detach and reset service page.
How long the system is down
The timing is the part homeowners feel. The array is off the roof from the day of removal until the day of reinstallation, so a good plan schedules the roof crew and the electrical work back to back. Days, not weeks, is the goal, and the schedule should be in writing before the first panel moves.
Texas Law
Who is allowed to do each part of the work
Electrical work needs a licensed electrical contractor; the roofer owns the roof, the mounts and the sequence.
The electrical work
Texas licenses this. The Texas Electrical Safety and Licensing Act says a person or business may not perform or offer to perform electrical work unless it holds the appropriate license, and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation issues those licenses. Disconnecting a solar system, handling the wiring and reconnecting it is electrical work. On our jobs it is done by a licensed electrical contractor, and the building code says the electrical portion of a PV system is designed and installed under the National Electrical Code.
The roof work
The roofer owns everything the panels sit on. That means the tear-off, the deck, the underlayment, the shingles, and the new mounts and their flashing. It also means the order of work, which is where most detach and reset problems start. Ask who is coordinating the two trades and who is writing down the condition of the array before anyone touches it.
Check your solar contract first
Some systems come with strings attached. A lease or power purchase agreement, and some product warranties, may require the system’s own provider or an approved installer to do the removal. Read that paperwork before booking the roof, and tell the roofer what it says.
Method
The order of work, step by step
Photograph, shut down, remove, replace the roof, flash new mounts, reinstall, test.
1. Document the array
Photos come first. Every panel, rail, mount, conduit run and the inverter are photographed before anything is touched, with the system’s production reading noted. That record is what proves the array went back the way it came off.
2. Shut down and disconnect
The licensed electrical contractor shuts the system down and disconnects it. Modern systems carry a rapid shutdown function, explained in the next section, and the disconnect is done at the equipment, not by pulling panels live.
3. Remove panels, rails and mounts
Panels are lifted off the rails, the rails come off the mounts, and the mounts are unbolted from the rafters. Each piece is labeled and stored off the roof. The old flashing at every mount comes off with the old shingles.
4. Replace the roof
The roof is torn off to the deck, as the code requires for a replacement. The deck is checked, and any soft or damaged sheets are replaced before underlayment and shingles go on. Our roof deck and underlayment guide explains that step.
5. Set and flash the new mounts
New mounts go into the rafters, each with its own flashing lapped into the shingle courses. This is the step that decides whether the roof leaks in five years, and it is covered on its own below.
6. Reinstall and test
Rails, panels and wiring go back in the documented layout. The electrical contractor reconnects the system, and the production reading is compared with the one taken before removal. The after photos close the record.
Electrical Code
Rapid shutdown and the inverter, in plain words
The NEC requires a way to bring rooftop PV wiring to a safe voltage within 30 seconds of a shutdown signal.
What rapid shutdown is
Panels make power whenever the sun is on them. Rapid shutdown is the code’s answer for firefighters and workers: a switch or device that drops the voltage on the rooftop wiring to a safe level quickly. Under the 2020 National Electrical Code section 690.12, as reprinted in a widely used training text, wiring outside the array boundary must be limited to 30 volts within 30 seconds of shutdown, and wiring inside the array boundary to 80 volts within 30 seconds, unless the array uses a listed shutdown system. The array boundary is the area 1 foot outside the perimeter of the panels.
Why it matters on a re-roof
A shut-down system is still a system with voltage at the panels. That is one reason the disconnect belongs to the licensed electrical contractor, and why a roofer should never unplug panels to get them out of the way. Ask where the rapid shutdown switch is and that it is labeled, because it is also the switch you would want in an emergency.
Inverters and optimizers
Two designs are common. A string inverter sits on a wall and converts the power from a whole row of panels; many string systems add a small optimizer or shutdown device under each panel. A microinverter sits under each panel and converts power there. Either way, the under-panel electronics come off and go back with the panels, and the electrical contractor confirms every one is reporting after reinstallation.
Roof Code
Racking mounts are roof penetrations, and the code treats them that way
IRC R324.4.3 says roof penetrations for PV systems are flashed and sealed under Chapter 9.
What the code says
The building code does not make an exception for solar. IRC R324.4.3 says roof penetrations for a rooftop PV system are flashed and sealed in accordance with Chapter 9, and R324.3 says the mounting system is installed per its listing and the manufacturer’s instructions. Chapter 9 requires flashing wherever there is a penetration through the roof plane, and corrosion resistant metal flashing of at least 0.019 inch where metal is used.
What a good mount looks like
The manufacturer’s instructions are specific. One common comp shingle mount, the IronRidge GF-1, tells the installer to locate the rafter, slip the flashing between courses so its top edge sits under the third course, drill a 1/4 inch pilot hole into the rafter, back-fill the hole with sealant compatible with the roof, and drive a 5/16 inch lag bolt until its bonded rubber washer seats. The flashing laps under the course above it so water runs over it, the same rule every flashing on the roof follows. Our flashing guide explains lapping.
What a bad mount looks like
A lag bolt through shingles with a dab of caulk is not flashing. Neither is a mount that missed the rafter and holds in the deck alone. Ask for a photo of every new mount before the rails cover it: rafter located, flashing lapped under the course above, bolt seated, no exposed sealant doing the job of metal.
Fire pathways and setbacks
A re-roof is the time to fix a layout problem. The code calls for clear pathways at least 36 inches wide from the eave to the ridge and a clear setback at the ridge, 18 inches when the array covers no more than a third of the roof and 36 inches above that, so firefighters can work. If the original installer ignored those, the reinstall is the moment to ask whether the layout can meet them.
Planning
What detach and reset costs, and how insurance treats it
Plan per panel, as its own line, and read your policy before you assume a carrier pays it.
Our planning range
Detach and reset is priced per panel. Our planning range is $255 to $545 per panel, listed as its own line under the roof replacement. For a 20 panel array, that is 20 times $255, or 20 times $545 at the top of the range, before the roof itself. Panel count, roof pitch, two story access and the condition of the existing racking move a job inside that range, and a written quote after a visit settles the number.
If a storm claim is involved
When hail or wind is the reason for the roof, the cost to move the panels is part of the cost to replace the roof, and it is usually written as its own line on a contractor’s estimate. Whether a policy pays for it depends on the policy, so read yours and ask your carrier directly. We advise and educate you on your options and rights, document the roof, and submit documented supplements. We are not a public adjuster and never negotiate or settle a claim for you. We never waive, absorb or discount a deductible. Our hail damage and insurance guide covers the claim process.
Common Questions
Questions homeowners ask
Can you replace a roof without removing the solar panels?
No. A roof replacement takes the old covering off down to the deck, and the panels and racking sit on that covering. They have to come off and go back on.
Who removes solar panels for a roof replacement in Texas?
The electrical disconnect and reconnect is electrical work, and Texas requires a licensed electrical contractor for it. The roofer handles the roof, the mounts, the flashing and the order of work. Check your lease or warranty first, because some systems require the provider’s own installer.
How much does solar detach and reset cost?
Our planning range is $255 to $545 per panel, as a separate line from the roof. A written quote after a visit sets the number for your array.
Does homeowners insurance pay to detach and reset solar panels?
It depends on your policy. When the roof is being replaced for a covered loss, the cost to move the panels is part of the replacement and usually appears as its own line on an estimate. Read your policy and ask your carrier; no contractor can promise what a carrier will pay.
Do the new solar mounts have to be flashed?
Yes. IRC R324.4.3 says PV roof penetrations are flashed and sealed under Chapter 9 of the code, and the mount maker’s instructions lap the flashing under the shingle course above.
How long are the panels off during a re-roof?
From removal day to reinstall day. A good schedule puts the roof crew and the electrical contractor back to back so the system is down for days, not weeks, and that schedule should be in writing.
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