Texas Solar Homeowner Rights:
A Plain-Language Guide

It depends on when the contract was signed, how it was sold, and what was promised. For contracts signed on or after September 1, 2025, SB 1036 provides a 5-business-day cancellation right with no penalty. For door-to-door sales, the Home Solicitation Transactions Act provides a 3-business-day cancellation right. For financed transactions, TILA may provide a rescission window. Outside these windows, cancellation generally requires legal grounds — typically a DTPA misrepresentation or another fact-specific claim.

SB 1036 took effect September 1, 2025. The 5-business-day cancellation right applies to residential solar contracts signed on or after that date. TDLR registration enforcement begins September 1, 2026.

Cancellation outside the cancellation windows generally requires legal grounds — typically a DTPA misrepresentation claim or another fact-specific issue. The specific facts of the homeowner’s situation, the documentation, and applicable Texas and federal law all matter. A qualified attorney may review whether the matter may merit further legal review.

Texas DTPA §17.505 requires the homeowner to send a written notice to the solar company at least 60 days before filing a DTPA lawsuit. The notice describes the alleged conduct and the damages claimed. The 60 days gives the solar company a window to make a settlement offer.

Generally two years from the date the deceptive act occurred. Some claims may accrue later under the discovery rule. Time-sensitive matters should be reviewed promptly — a qualified attorney would evaluate the specific timing during the intake review.

No. Texas Tax Code §11.27 provides a 100-percent property tax exemption on the added value of OWNED solar energy devices. Leased systems do not qualify because the lessor — not the homeowner — owns the system. If a homeowner was sold a lease while being told they would receive the §11.27 benefit, that representation may be a potential disclosure issue under the DTPA.

SB 1036 requires the contract to include the cancellation address and the last day of the cancellation period. If those disclosures are missing, the cancellation window may not have started running. A qualified attorney may review whether the specific contract complies with SB 1036’s disclosure requirements.

The April 2026 OAG investigation is an enforcement action by the State of Texas against named solar companies. It does not, by itself, cancel any individual contract or recover damages for any individual homeowner. Filing a complaint at oag.my.texas.gov adds to the OAG’s record. Individual legal review proceeds on a separate track.

TDLR has regulatory oversight over electrical contractors and, beginning September 1, 2026, residential solar retailers and salespeople. Complaints can be filed at tdlr.texas.gov. TDLR enforcement is separate from private legal remedies — both can be pursued.

Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1806 (SB 1036), Business & Commerce Code Chapter 17 (DTPA), Business & Commerce Code Chapter 601 (Home Solicitation Transactions Act), Tax Code §11.27 (solar property tax exemption), and Business & Commerce Code Chapter 9 (UCC Article 9) are all available at statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Federal TILA is at 15 U.S.C. §1601 et seq. and Regulation Z at 12 CFR Part 1026.