Removing solar panels for a new roof or roof restoration

Published 23 October 2026

Who can remove and refit solar panels in NSW

The NSW Government’s licensing page says “You must have an electrical licence or certificate before you can do any electrical wiring work in NSW, regardless of the cost of the work”, and defines electrical wiring work as “installing, repairing, altering, removing, or adding to an electrical installation”. NSW Fair Trading says installing panels “must be undertaken by either a licensed builder or a licensed electrical contractor”, and that the wiring must be done by a licensed electrical contractor or under a qualified supervisor.

After the refit, the electrician who tests the system must lodge a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) “no later than seven days after the electrical test”. No NSW source we found says whether a roofer may lift panels once an electrician has isolated them, so our advice is to arrange the removal and refit through a licensed electrician, and have the roofer quote for the roof only.

Accreditation is a separate thing: since 2024, Solar Accreditation Australia, not the Clean Energy Council, accredits solar installers for government rebates. The licence that matters for the wiring is the electrical licence.

Why solar panels are live even when switched off

The NSW Rural Fire Service’s protocol for firefighters puts it plainly: “During daylight hours a solar system will continue to generate electricity even if the system is shut down”, and “Wires between solar panels and isolator switches may still be live even when the isolator has operated.” It adds that only a solar-qualified electrician can confirm an array is fully isolated, “as this requires disconnection of wiring from the Solar panels”.

SafeWork NSW lists falls, contact with electricity, asbestos and falling panels among the risks of rooftop solar work, and its installation guide says “The carrying of panels by workers up ladders is not a safe system of work and must not be conducted.” Don’t climb up to help, and don’t touch panel cabling. SafeWork NSW treats a risk of a fall of more than 2 metres as high-risk construction work.

Planning rules for putting solar panels back

Rooftop solar on a house is exempt development, with no council approval, under section 2.41 of the Transport and Infrastructure SEPP when it meets that section’s standards. No clause deals with refitting an existing system, so by our reading the same standards apply when panels go back on:

• installed to the manufacturer’s specifications or by a Solar Accreditation Australia accredited installer, with no reduction in the building’s structural integrity and no structural alterations
• in a residential zone, on a roof facing a primary road, no more than 0.5 m out from the roof; on other roofs, no more than 1 m out, and at least 1 m from the boundary if more than 0.5 m out
• where the land has a heritage item or is in a heritage conservation area, not visible from a primary road at any point where the road meets the property boundary, and no more than 0.5 m out

So an array visible from a primary road where the road meets the property boundary, on land with a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area, isn’t exempt: check with council before it goes back on. The re-roof itself has its own rules: see council approval to replace a roof.

From 23 November 2026, new and upgraded rooftop solar in Ausgrid’s network has to be commissioned through the NSW CER installer portal. Energy NSW doesn’t say whether refitting the same system counts, so ask your electrician whether any network notice or approval is needed.

Solar warranties when panels are moved

Warranty terms on panels, inverters and mounting rails differ by brand, and some manufacturers’ terms exclude products that have been moved or reinstalled, or require reinstallation by an installer they nominate. Before anything comes off, check your warranty documents and ask your original installer how to keep the warranty intact. Ask about the inverter too: it may only need switching off and isolating rather than removing.

Solar panel removal and reinstallation cost

We found no Northern Beaches or Sydney business that publishes a price for taking panels off and putting them back. The clearest published figure is from Queensland: a Brisbane and Gold Coast roof restoration contractor says temporary removal and refitting by licensed solar electricians costs “around $120 per panel +GST” for a single-storey home with a standard set-up, and that double-storey homes or systems with micro-inverters “will often cost more”. The same page, updated 30 July 2026, also shows a lower figure of “around $85 per panel +GST”, so treat both as a rough interstate guide only.

To compare quotes, ask each one to say:

• who disconnects and isolates the system, and who refits, tests and issues the CCEW
• whether the rails and cables stay on the roof or come off
• where the panels are stored during the roof work
• whether broken tiles around the brackets are replaced
• whether new rails, clamps or brackets are needed for the new roof, such as moving from tiles to Colorbond
• the access allowance for a two-storey or steep roof

Roof prices themselves are in our roof replacement cost and roof restoration cost guides.

Common questions