FAQ
Guide · facts checked Oct 31, 2026

Who owns my solar system? How to check in California

You prepaid, or your installer closed, and now you’re not sure if the panels on your roof are really yours. Ownership depends on the kind of contract you signed, not on whether you paid up front. Here is where to look, with sources. We’re a directory: this is general information, not legal advice.

Share a request Start the quick check

Quick check

What kind of deal did you sign?

Tap an option to see what applies.

I bought it (cash, loan or PACE)

Then you own it. The CPUC says that with a cash or loan purchase “you own the system,” and the same for PACE financing[1]. The CSLB’s disclosure paperwork has a line for this: “Is this a purchase? (Customer will own system)[4].”

Owning it and owing money on it can both be true. The CPUC notes that a secured loan uses an asset as collateral, “often that asset is your solar system,” and that some solar loans place a lien on your property[1]. If your lender or installer is gone, who now holds your loan is a separate question from who owns the panels.

I lease it

The provider owns it. The CPUC: “With a lease, the solar provider owns the system and ‘rents’ it to you for a scheduled monthly payment over a set number of years”[1]. The CSLB form says the same: “Customer will not own system”[4].

What happens at the end is in your contract. The CSLB says that at the end of a lease the company can remove the system if nothing in the contract lets the homeowner buy it, so look for a purchase option[2].

I have a PPA (I pay per kWh)

The provider owns it. In a PPA, “the solar provider owns the system on your property and sells you the electricity it generates”[1]. The CSLB form: “Customer will not own system. For PPAs, customer will pay for the power the system uses”[4].

The CSLB describes a PPA as a deal where you let a company install and own a solar system on your home and you buy the electricity it produces[2]. Check your contract for what happens to the system when the term ends.

I prepaid a lease or PPA

Prepaying doesn’t by itself make you the owner. The CPUC notes that leases and PPAs can be set up in different ways, “such as paying more up front to reduce your monthly payments”[1]. The CSLB’s supporting-information form even has an “Upfront payment, if applicable” line in its PPA box[4].

So the question is what kind of contract it was (purchase, lease or PPA), not whether you paid in advance. Find the contract’s end-of-term section. California law requires lease and PPA disclosures to include a plain-language explanation of what happens to the system at the end of the term[5]. If your contract says you get the system at the end, that explanation is where it will say so.

I’m not sure

Start with the cover page of your contract. The CSLB disclosure form must be printed on the front page of every residential solar contract[3], and its companion supporting-information form asks whether the customer will own the system[4]. Older paperwork may look different. If you can’t find them, use the four checks below.

Four places to check, in order

Your contract paperwork

Look for the CSLB Solar Energy System Disclosure Document on the front of the contract[3] and the Supporting Information pages behind it. The latter has a PPA/lease section (“Customer will not own system”) and a purchase section (“Customer will own system”)[4]. If the installer never gave you these, the CPUC says to ask for them, and to report a provider that won’t provide them to the CSLB[1]. With the installer gone, ask your lender or the company you pay each month.

The utility’s file on your system

Since a 2018 CPUC decision (D.18-09-044), solar providers must upload the signed pages of the CPUC consumer guide, the installation contract and the CSLB disclosure document to the utility before connecting a home in PG&E, SCE or SDG&E territory[1]. So your utility may hold a copy of your contract. Ask its solar or customer-generation team what it can send you for your address; we haven’t confirmed each utility’s process. SCE describes its “Permission to Operate” (PTO) as the approval that authorizes you to operate the system, issued after final approval of the interconnection application[10]. A PTO letter shows the system was approved to run. It isn’t a title document.

Your monitoring account

Check whose email is on it. This is a clue, not proof. Monitoring accounts are separate from ownership of the equipment, and one California contractor says it can transfer an Enphase Enlighten account to the homeowner’s ownership[11]. Having the login doesn’t make you the owner, and not having it doesn’t mean you aren’t.

County recorder and Secretary of State

Lease or PPA providers. A provider that leases a residential system or sells you its power must record a “Notice of an Independent Solar Energy Producer Contract” with the county recorder within 30 days of signing[5]. The notice says the provider “has retained ownership” of the system, and lists the provider’s name, address and phone, whether it’s a lease or a sale of electricity, and the start and end dates[5]. The law says the notice is not a lien or encumbrance, and the provider must record a document ending it when the contract ends or transfers[5].

Lenders and providers. A UCC “fixture filing” goes where mortgages on the property are recorded, which is the county recorder. Other financing statements go to the Secretary of State[6]. The Secretary of State is the central filing office for certain financing statements and offers online UCC inquiry services[7]. Los Angeles County, for example, records UCC financing statements in the county when real property is affected[8], but it says it has no online access to its real-estate records, which are viewed by appointment at its Norwalk office[9]. Search by your name, your address and the year of installation. Counties differ, so check yours.

How to read what you find

  • A recorded Notice of an Independent Solar Energy Producer Contract: the provider is stating it kept ownership. That points to a lease or PPA, and it gives you the provider’s contact details[5].
  • A fixture filing or UCC statement: someone (a lender or the provider) claims a security interest in the equipment. It tells you who to call. It doesn’t, by itself, tell you who owns the panels. Read the filing and see who the “secured party” is.
  • Nothing found: that isn’t proof either way. Records can be filed under a different name, in a different county, or not at all. Go back to the contract.

Not legal advice — read your own contract. A recorded document or a missing one can change what your rights are. If a lot of money is at stake, ask a lawyer. The CPUC lists free legal help for customers with PACE problems, and for low- and medium-income customers[1].

If you don’t own it and the company is gone

If you pay a monthly lease or PPA bill, call whoever you pay. For SunPower, SunPower Inc. says it didn’t take over customer PPAs or leases[12], and SunStrong Management is the servicer for many legacy SunPower and Sunnova leases and PPAs[13]. See our pages for SunPower and Sunnova, or the general guide: what to do when your installer is gone.

What we couldn’t confirm: we found no official source on what happens to ownership if a lease or PPA provider goes bankrupt. That depends on the contract and the bankruptcy. Check the brand page above and your own contract.

Gather these, then check them off

Check marks are saved in this browser only. Nothing is sent.

Need a licensed contractor near you?

Type a ZIP or a city. Contractors whose websites we checked come first.

Share your request with a licensed contractor

Tell us what’s going on. If you agree below, we share your request with a licensed contractor who says on its own website that it does this kind of work, and who may contact you. You choose whether to hire them, and you contract and pay them directly. Free. No obligation.

OrphanSolarHelp is a directory, not a contractor. We don’t perform, quote, supervise, or guarantee any work.

Number of panels, roof type, what stopped working. Don’t include passwords, account or loan numbers, or your Social Security number — we never need them.

We share your request with a licensed contractor who may contact you. You choose whether to hire them, and you contract and pay them directly. We can’t promise anyone will call, or any price or warranty. See our privacy policy. Prefer to call someone yourself? Every listing has a phone number.

Related guides

Tesla panel removal & reinstallTesla’s own process for roof work, remodels and moves, the 30-day wait and eligible roofs.PPA vs lease vs loan (NEM 3.0)Who owns what, what you pay, and why you still get a utility bill.Powerwall 3 on 120/208 VWhat Tesla’s design guide says about service voltage.

Sources

  1. CPUC, “California Solar Consumer Protection Guide” (overview & FAQ; version 4)
  2. CSLB, “Solar Smart”
  3. CSLB, Solar Energy System Disclosure Document (cover page, Form 13L-6)
  4. CSLB, Solar Energy System Supporting Information (version 2)
  5. California Public Utilities Code §2869 (leases and PPAs for residential solar)
  6. California Commercial Code §9501 (where financing statements are filed)
  7. California Secretary of State, “Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)”
  8. Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, “UCC Financing Statement — General Info” (one county’s example)
  9. Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, “View Real Estate Records” (one county’s example)
  10. SCE, “FAQs about the Solar Billing Plan”
  11. Robbins Energy, “Enphase service & maintenance” — “We can transfer the Enlighten account to your ownership and perform all maintenance and repairs regardless of who originally installed the system.”
  12. SunPower Inc. (formerly Complete Solaria), “Warranty information and resources” — “Our purchase of select SunPower Corporation assets did not include taking any interest in customer PPAs, leases, or in any solar systems, batteries, or other equipment that was installed prior to the acquisition date – September 30, 2024.” For leases/PPAs: “reach out to your financier or SunStrong Management.”
  13. SunStrong Management (servicer for many legacy SunPower and Sunnova leases/PPAs)
Get matched