Does solar affect homeowners insurance in Florida?

Often, but not always. Rooftop panels you own are usually treated as part of the house under your dwelling coverage, so raise your dwelling limit by the value of the system. Some insurers handle solar differently:

• People's Trust removed solar panels, inverters, batteries and mounting hardware from its standard home coverage in 2023 and offers them back through an optional endorsement of up to $50,000.
• In 2022, Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation told Olympus it couldn't adopt a broad solar exclusion unless owners could buy the coverage back, and the company withdrew the change.
• Some insurers, such as Kin, don't cover leased panels; the leasing company insures its own equipment.

Florida's Chief Financial Officer has warned that only some insurers cover homes with solar and that premiums may rise, so get the answer in writing before you sign a solar contract.

For how lightning and surge claims are handled, see lightning and solar panels in Florida.

Solar United Neighbors says no filed policy with the Office of Insurance Regulation lets an insurer drop a homeowner simply for going solar, and suggests asking for any reason in writing. In practice, some homeowners have had trouble:

• In 2024, a Palm Beach County homeowner was turned down by at least five insurers because of solar panels before finding coverage with Kin.
• A Pinellas County homeowner was non-renewed because the home's system was larger than 10 kW, and was quoted at least double the previous premium elsewhere, according to a WFLA report.
• An Insurance Information Institute spokesperson said insurers have become more stringent in underwriting solar.

The Florida Solar Energy Industries Association keeps a list of carriers it considers friendly to homeowner-owned rooftop solar, including Citizens.

It can. Under Florida's net metering rule, utilities can't require liability insurance for Tier 1 systems up to 10 kW. For Tier 2 systems (over 10 kW up to 100 kW) they can require up to $1 million in liability coverage, and up to $2 million for Tier 3.

Most homes fit in Tier 1. If yours needs more than 10 kW, check that your policy's liability limit meets your utility's requirement before you sign. See how Florida net metering works.

• Florida law (s. 627.7011) says an insurer can't refuse to write or renew a homeowners policy solely because the roof is under 15 years old.
• For a roof 15 years or older, you can pay for an inspection, and if it shows at least 5 years of useful life left, the insurer can't refuse based on roof age alone.
• Citizens requires a 4-point inspection for homes over 20 years old and proof of remaining life for shingle roofs over 25 years old and tile or metal roofs over 50.
• Bills in the 2026 session to change the roof rules all died in committee in March 2026.

Putting new panels on an old roof can mean paying to take them off and put them back at the next reroof, so a newer roof helps on both fronts. See can solar panels survive a hurricane in Florida.

Florida insurers must offer hurricane deductibles of 2%, 5% and 10% of your dwelling coverage, plus a $500 option on homes insured for under $250,000. You pay one hurricane deductible per calendar year with the same insurer, and the hurricane period runs from the first watch or warning until 72 hours after the last one ends.

If your panels are covered as part of your home, storm damage to them counts toward that same deductible. On a home insured for $400,000, a 2% deductible is $8,000, so minor panel damage may cost you out of pocket.

Don't count on equipment warranties for storm damage. They cover defects, not weather: Qcells' panel warranty excludes acts of nature such as storms, floods, tornadoes and lightning, and Tesla's Powerwall warranty excludes force majeure events such as lightning, flood and fire. Storm damage is an insurance claim.

No. The program's grants cover only hurricane mitigation: opening protection, roof-to-wall connections, roof deck attachment and secondary water resistance. It reopened in August 2025 with $352 million for matching grants of up to $10,000, and in 2026 it has been running on leftover funds.

Those upgrades can still lower your premium, and pairing them with a reroof before solar goes on can make sense.

1. 1

   Call your insurer

   Ask whether rooftop solar is covered under your dwelling coverage, whether it changes your premium and whether system size matters. Get the answer in writing.

2. 2

   Shop if needed

   If your insurer excludes or won't renew solar homes, get quotes from carriers that cover them before you sign the solar contract.

3. 3

   Raise your dwelling limit

   Add the system's cost to your dwelling coverage so a total loss would cover it.

4. 4

   Keep records

   Save the contract, permit, final inspection and photos of the finished system for any future claim.

If you're considering a lease, see solar lease vs. buy in Florida for how leases handle insurance.

For seasonal homes, see solar for a second home in Florida.