A homeowner in Stapleton called about her thirty-year-old shingles, curling at the edges, a few missing after last spring's wind, with eleven solar panels already mounted on the roof. Her real question wasn't about the shingles. It was whether anyone could touch that roof without wrecking her solar system.
That question comes up constantly across Denver, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo, where rooftop solar adoption climbed fast over the last decade and a lot of those systems are now reaching the age where the roof underneath needs attention before the panels do. This guide walks through what actually happens when you reroof a house with solar panels already installed, the steps, the costs, and the warranty risks worth knowing before you sign anything.
Can You Replace a Roof Without Removing the Solar Panels?
In almost every case, no. A handful of companies advertise "roofing around" panels by working underneath them without disconnection, but the new underlayment and flashing can't seal properly at every penetration point that way, and that's exactly where leaks start. The panels have to come off, the roof gets replaced underneath them, and the same panels go back on, reusing the existing hardware and wiring wherever it's still in good condition.
The exception is a small subset of low-slope commercial or ballasted systems that sit on top of a membrane roof without penetrating it. Standard residential racking, mounted with L-feet or standoffs bolted through the decking, doesn't fall into that category.
What Happens When You Reroof a Home With Solar, Step by Step
1. Disconnecting and removing the panels
Before anyone touches a shingle, the solar system has to be safely powered down. Since 2017, the National Electrical Code (NEC 690.12) has required rapid-shutdown capability on grid-tied residential solar systems specifically so an array can be de-energized before anyone works near it. A licensed solar technician disconnects the DC combiner connections, removes the panels in sequence, and labels the wiring and racking hardware so everything goes back in the same configuration it came off in.
2. Tearing off and replacing the roof underneath
With the array clear, the roofing crew tears off the old material down to the deck, inspects and replaces any damaged sheathing, and installs new underlayment and shingles across the full roof plane, including the sections that had been shaded under panels for years and often show different wear patterns than the rest of the roof. New flashing goes in at every point where the racking will reattach, which is the step that actually protects the roof long-term. Reused flashing under a new roof surface is one of the most common causes of a leak showing up a year or two after a reroof.
3. Reinstalling and recommissioning the system
Once the new roof is down, the solar crew remounts the racking to the fresh flashing, reinstalls the panels in their original layout, reconnects the wiring, and brings the system back online. A proper recommissioning checks output against pre-removal production numbers to confirm nothing was damaged or miswired, a step that's easy to skip and important not to.
Why This Isn't a Job for Just Any Roofing Crew
A roofing company needs both roofing licensure and either an in-house solar/electrical team or a coordinated relationship with a licensed solar installer to do this correctly. Roofing and electrical work are two separate trades, and they have to sequence around each other without creating a liability gap. If a roofer removes panels without a certified electrician's involvement, or a solar company reinstalls onto flashing that wasn't set to the roofing manufacturer's specifications, either warranty can end up voided, and it may not surface until there's a claim to make.
Shingle manufacturers generally require every penetration to follow their specific flashing details to keep a workmanship warranty valid. Solar manufacturers typically carry a 25-year panel performance warranty plus separate installer workmanship coverage, both of which can be voided by improper removal, physical damage during handling, or reconnection by an uncertified installer. Getting a reroof wrong on a solar home risks two warranties at once, not one.
How Much Does It Cost to Reroof Around Solar Panels?
Panel removal and reinstallation adds real time and labor on top of a standard tear-off quote, since it involves an additional licensed trade, extra flashing work, and system recommissioning and testing. The exact number depends on system size (a 6-panel array is a very different job than a 24-panel array), along with racking type and roof complexity. What matters more than the number itself is getting that cost itemized separately in the quote. A bid that doesn't break out panel handling as its own line item usually hasn't actually accounted for it.
It's also worth budgeting a few extra days of project timeline. Coordinating two trades around weather takes longer than a single-trade reroof, especially since Front Range crews watch afternoon thunderstorm patterns closely from May through August.
Protecting Your Roof and Solar Warranties During a Reroof
Get written confirmation of who is licensed for the electrical disconnect and reconnect, not just who's licensed for roofing.
Ask whether your specific solar installer or manufacturer needs to be involved directly to keep your existing solar warranty intact, versus a general third-party solar crew.
Confirm new flashing is going in at every panel mounting point, not old flashing reused on the new roof surface.
Check whether your utility needs to be notified about a temporary system outage, particularly if the disconnection will last more than a day or two.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Ask any contractor under consideration a few direct questions before signing. Have they handled solar removal and reinstallation before, and can they name a recent project? Do they coordinate directly with a solar partner, or does the homeowner need to hire that separately and manage the sequencing? Is panel handling itemized in the quote, or bundled in a way that makes it hard to tell what's actually included? Not every quote accounts for the solar system at all, and finding that out after signing is the expensive way to learn it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do solar panels need to be removed for a roof replacement?
Yes, in nearly all residential cases. Standard racking is bolted through the roof deck, so the panels have to come off before the old roofing material can be torn out and replaced, then go back on once the new roof and flashing are in place.
Will reroofing void my solar panel warranty?
It can, if the removal and reinstallation aren't done by a licensed, qualified installer following the manufacturer's process. It won't, if the work is done correctly and recommissioned properly, which is why coordination between the roofing and solar trades matters so much.
How long does it take to reroof a house with solar panels?
Longer than a standard reroof on the same size house, since it involves sequencing two trades, typically a few extra days beyond a comparable non-solar project, depending on system size and weather.
Can I use my original solar installer for the reinstallation, or does it have to be the roofing company?
Either can work, as long as whoever reconnects the system is properly licensed and, ideally, familiar with your specific equipment. Some roofing companies manage this coordination directly; others expect the homeowner to arrange it separately. Ask which applies before signing.
Planning a Reroof on a Solar Home?
Impact Energy & Roofing manages full panel removal and reinstallation as part of reroofing projects for solar homes across Denver, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo, coordinating directly with your solar provider so the roof, the panels, and the reconnection all stay protected through one process. Call now to talk through what a reroof would look like on your specific system before getting quotes.