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Find your contract date first. If you signed within the last three business days, cancel in writing now. Otherwise, pull together the contract, the separate disclosure statement, any savings estimate, ads, texts and emails, and photos of the work, then pick the route below that matches what happened. You can use more than one.

A high price alone usually isn't illegal. Florida's consumer law targets unfair, deceptive and unconscionable practices, not prices you agreed to. If the price was justified with claims that weren't true, like a tax credit that no longer exists or savings built on assumptions the seller didn't disclose, that's where your case is.

Start with your disclosure statement

Florida requires a separate written statement, in at least 12-point type and acknowledged separately from the contract, for every solar sale or lease. It's your best evidence, because it pins down what you were told. Check it for:

  • Total cost. Every fee and the interest, in one number. 520.23(6)
  • Tax incentives used in the price. Each credit or rebate the seller counted when setting your price. 520.23(8)
  • Savings assumptions. How any savings estimate was worked out, with the warning that future utility rates are estimates. 520.23(9)
  • Production estimate. First-year output, yearly decline, and how your utility credited exported power when you signed. 520.23(14)
  • Installer's license. The installer's name and state contractor license number, plus DBPR's phone number. 520.23(2), (4)
  • Start and finish dates. The approximate dates installation will start and be completed. 520.23(18)

If the seller counted the 30% federal tax credit in your price or savings, note it: the credit is gone for home systems finished after December 31, 2025, the IRS says, and the statement itself must tell you to consult a tax professional about tax credits. A missing statement, or one that doesn't match what the salesperson said, belongs in your complaint.

A printed multi-page agreement and a separate one-page disclosure statement side by side on a desk, a pen and reading glasses beside them

Which route fits your situation

If: Signed in the last 3 business days

Cancel

Florida's solar disclosure law guarantees at least 3 business days to rescind. Send written notice and keep proof.

Cancel step by step →
If: A licensed contractor misled you or did bad work

Complain to DBPR

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation takes complaints against licensed contractors, including construction and electrical contractors, and against unlicensed activity.

DBPR complaints →
If: A deceptive sales pitch

Attorney General

The Attorney General enforces Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Willful violations against people 60 or older, people with disabilities or military families carry civil penalties of up to $15,000 each. Complaints are public records.

File with the AG →
If: You lost money because of it

Sue under FDUTPA

If you suffered a loss, you can recover your actual damages plus attorney's fees and court costs. The fee rule cuts both ways: a winning seller can ask the court for its fees too.

See the deadlines →
If: A claim of $8,000 or less

Small claims

Florida's small claims rules cover cases up to $8,000, not counting costs, interest and attorney's fees, in county court.

See the deadlines →
If: A judgment you can't collect

Recovery fund

If a licensed contractor mismanaged your money, abandoned the job or lied about paying subcontractors, Florida's Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund can pay, after a judgment or board order: up to $30,000 on a solar contractor's job signed since July 1, 2024, or $100,000 for a general, building or residential contractor.

If the company closed →

Paid a deposit, but no permits or work?

Florida has a specific rule for this. A contractor who takes more than 10% of the contract price as an initial payment on residential work must apply for permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after the permits are issued, unless there's just cause or you agreed in writing to longer. If that doesn't happen, send a written demand to apply for the permits, start the work or refund your payment, by certified mail with a return receipt, to the address in the contract. If the contractor does none of that within 30 days of your demand, the law lets it be inferred that there was no just cause.

What your demand letter should say

The contract date and what you paid; that more than 10% was paid up front; that permits weren't applied for within 30 days, or work wasn't started within 90 days of the permits; and that you demand they apply for permits, start the work, or refund your payment. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested, and keep a copy.

Paid too much? Check the price per watt

Divide the total price, before any incentive, by the system size in watts (a 10 kW system is 10,000 watts). Here's what Americans paid for home systems in 2024, in Berkeley Lab's data:

Batteries add to the price. The loan-financed median ran $1.20 a watt above the cash median.

If your price is well above these, check the loan for a dealer fee and the savings pitch for a credit you won't get. Our guide to comparing solar quotes walks through each line of a quote.

The deadlines

Day 0
You sign

You should get a separate disclosure statement to acknowledge. Keep it with the contract, texts, emails and ads.

3 business days
Right to rescind

At least this long under Florida's solar disclosure law.

30 days after a big deposit
Permits applied for

If the contractor took more than 10% up front.

90 days after permits
Work started

Unless you agreed in writing to longer.

30 days after your demand
Permits, work or a refund

Silence after a certified-mail demand points to no just cause.

4 years
Limit for statutory claims

Florida's limit for actions founded on a statutory liability.

The four-year limit is for actions founded on a statutory liability; ask a lawyer how it applies to your claim. A consumer who wins under the Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act can recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs, but so can a seller who wins, so a weak claim carries a real cost.

If you financed it

If the seller arranged your loan, look in the loan papers for the FTC's Holder Rule notice: "Any holder of this consumer credit contract is subject to all claims and defenses which the debtor could assert against the seller", with recovery capped at what you've paid. When it's there, claims you have against the solar company can be raised against the lender too. If you paid a deposit by credit card, federal law lets you raise the dispute with the card issuer once you've tried to settle it with the company, for charges over $50 made in your state or within 100 miles of home. Talk to a lawyer before you stop paying a loan.

How it works

Your estimate in three steps

  1. Enter your billYour ZIP code, your utility and last month's bill.
  2. See your estimateA yearly savings range based on your utility's rates and Florida sun.
  3. Choose what's nextAsk for a quote call if you want real pricing, or just keep the number.

See what solar could save you

It takes about a minute. You don't need a site visit, a commitment or a sales call to see your number.

Check my savings →

Common questions

How do I file a complaint against a solar company in Florida?

For a licensed contractor, file with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which takes complaints against licensed construction and electrical contractors and against unlicensed activity. For deceptive sales, file with the Florida Attorney General, who enforces the Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Attorney General complaints are public records.

Can I sue my solar company in Florida?

Yes. Under the Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, a person who suffered a loss can recover actual damages plus attorney's fees and court costs, though a seller who wins can also ask for its fees. Claims up to $8,000 can go to small claims court.

My solar company lied about the tax credit. What can I do?

The federal residential solar credit ended for systems finished after December 31, 2025. Florida's disclosure statement must list each tax incentive the seller relied on in setting the price and tell you to consult a tax professional. If the seller counted a credit you can't get, include that in a DBPR or Attorney General complaint, and talk to a lawyer about a deceptive practices claim.

What does Florida's solar disclosure law require?

A separate written statement, in at least 12-point type and acknowledged separately, with the total cost, the payment schedule, tax incentives used in the price, savings assumptions, estimated production and degradation, fees, financing statements, a right to rescind for at least 3 business days, and the installer's license number (Florida Statute 520.23).

My solar contractor took a deposit and never started. What are my rights?

If the contractor took more than 10% up front, it had to apply for permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after the permits were issued, unless there was just cause or you agreed to longer. Send a written demand by certified mail; if the contractor doesn't apply, start or refund within 30 days, the law lets it be inferred there was no just cause.

Is there a fund that pays Florida homeowners who lost money to a contractor?

Yes, the Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund, for certain violations by licensed contractors after a judgment, arbitration award or board restitution order and failed collection. For contracts on or after July 1, 2024 it pays up to $30,000 per claim against a specialty contractor such as a solar contractor, and up to $100,000 against a general, building or residential contractor.

This page explains Florida law in general terms as of October 2026; it isn't legal advice. For a claim worth real money, talk to a consumer lawyer. Sources: Florida Statutes 520.23 · Florida Statutes 501.204 · Florida Statutes 501.211 · Florida Statutes 501.2105 · Florida Statutes 501.2077 · Florida Statutes 489.126 · Florida Statutes 489.105 · Florida Statutes 489.141 · Florida Statutes 489.143 · Florida Statutes 95.11 · The Florida Bar: Florida Small Claims Rules, July 1, 2026 (PDF) · DBPR: file a complaint · Florida Attorney General: file a complaint · IRS FAQs on the 2025 credit changes · 16 CFR 433.2 (FTC Holder Rule) · 15 U.S.C. 1666i · Berkeley Lab: U.S. Distributed Solar and Storage, 2025 data update (PDF). Reviewed October 2026.

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