Solar contract and disclosure rules for Carlsbad, CA

The contract is with the contractor

A home solar installation over $500 is a home improvement contract under California Business and Professions Code section 7159, the same rule that covers a kitchen remodel or a new roof. Section 7151 specifically lists solar energy systems as home improvement work. The contract must be in writing, with the full price in dollars and cents and any finance charge shown separately, under section 7159.5. This site does not write that contract.

The solar disclosure document

Section 7169 requires a company that sells, finances, or leases a solar energy system to give the buyer a CSLB and CPUC solar disclosure document before the sale, in the same language as the sales presentation, on the front of the contract. We do not sell, finance, or lease a system, so we do not hand out that document. Expect to see it from the contractor before you sign anything.

Who may sell or sign you up

Section 7152 requires anyone who solicits, sells, negotiates, or executes a home improvement contract for a licensed contractor to be registered with CSLB as a home improvement salesperson, with narrow exemptions such as an officer of the licensed company or someone who only schedules an appointment. A call to this site stops at scheduling; we do not sell or negotiate anything.

What CSLB says about referral services

CSLB's Fast Facts for online marketplaces say a referral service may list licensed contractors and pass along contact information, but may not solicit or negotiate a contract, or claim to do the construction itself. Section 7027.1 makes it a misdemeanor to advertise for construction without a license in that class, which is why this site is described as a guide and referral, not an installer, and why a licensee must show its license number in advertising under section 7030.5.

Check the license before you sign

Look up any contractor on the CSLB license check before you sign anything, and confirm the license number on the contract matches. This site does not name a contractor.