The solar sales compliance checklist

By Damien Day · Updated October 2026

• The checklist
• Who you are
• 3-day cancellation
• Calls and texts
• Claims
• Credit and liens
• State laws

The checklist

Print it, or tick it off on your phone. Nothing here is saved.

• 1 · Who you are
• I say my name, my company and why I'm there at the start of every conversation.
• I never say or imply I'm with the utility, the state or a government program.
• 2 · The 3-day cancellation notice
• I tell the homeowner out loud that they can cancel, and by when.
• I hand over two copies of the cancellation form with the agreement, in the same language as the pitch.
• 3 · Calls and texts
• I call or text only people who gave consent or are current leads, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. their time, or my state's stricter hours.
• I never cold-text, autodial, or call a number on a Do Not Call list without a valid exception.
• 4 · Claims
• I never promise savings, a $0 bill, “free solar” or a tax credit.
• Every estimate I show is labeled as an estimate and comes from the approved proposal.
• 5 · Financing, credit and liens
• I get permission before any credit check, and the homeowner types in their own details.
• I explain any UCC filing, PACE assessment or home-equity loan in plain words before anything is signed.

1. Say who you are

Section 5 of the FTC Act bans deceptive practices, and the FTC's Impersonation Rule (16 CFR Part 461, in effect since April 2024) bans pretending to be, or to be affiliated with, a government agency or a business. At the door, that means your name, your company and why you're there, first.

• Any hint that you represent the utility or a government office
• “A government program,” a “redirection program,” or a fake notice, truck or flyer

2. The 3-day cancellation rule

The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule (16 CFR Part 429) covers sales of $25 or more made at the buyer's home, and $130 or more at temporary locations, including leases. For most in-home solar sales, that means:

• The buyer may cancel up to midnight on the third business day after the sale. Saturdays count. Sundays and federal holidays don't.
• Tell them out loud, at the time of the sale, that they can cancel.
• Give them a copy of the agreement, plus two copies of the cancellation form, in the same language as the sales pitch.
• If they cancel, the refund is due within 10 business days.
• Your state may give more time, or add rules of its own.

An example: signed on a Thursday.

1. ThuSigned
2. FriDay 1
3. SatDay 2
4. SunDoesn't count
5. MonDay 3: cancel by midnight
6. Tue
7. Wed

A federal holiday inside the window pushes the deadline back a day.

3. Calls and texts: the TCPA and Do Not Call

Two sets of federal rules apply: the TCPA, through the FCC's rules (47 CFR 64.1200), and the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule (16 CFR Part 310). For a rep, they come down to this:

• Hours: no sales calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., by the homeowner's clock. Some states are stricter: Florida ends sales calls at 8 p.m.
• A text counts as a call.
• Autodialed or prerecorded sales calls and texts need the homeowner's prior written consent.
• Do Not Call: check the National Registry and your state's list. A purchase covers 18 months, an inquiry 3 months, and written permission until it's withdrawn.
• Honor “stop” right away, and log it.

The scripts that fit these rules are in the solar appointment setter script.

4. Claims you can't make

• A savings number that isn't a labeled estimate from the approved proposal, assumptions included
• “Your bill goes to $0,” “free solar,” or “no cost to you”
• Telling someone they'll get a tax credit without written confirmation from your company for that home
• A deadline that is made up or not in writing

Financing is where claims go wrong fastest. The CFPB found that dealer fees typically run 10% to 30% of the cash price, sometimes more than 50%, and that lenders often leave them out of the cost of credit they show (Issue Spotlight: Solar Financing, August 2024). Show the cash price next to the financed price, and let the homeowner see both.

5. Financing, credit checks and liens

• Credit checks: the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. §1681b) limits who can pull a credit report, and why. Get permission first, and let the homeowner type their own details into the lender's page. Never read a Social Security number out loud or type it into your phone.
• UCC fixture filing: many solar loans, leases and PPAs record a UCC filing on the property records. It isn't a mortgage, but it shows up when the homeowner sells or refinances. Say so plainly.
• PACE: PACE financing is repaid through the property tax bill and is a lien on the home. Since March 1, 2026, a CFPB rule has applied federal Truth in Lending ability-to-repay rules to residential PACE.
• Home-equity loans are liens on the home, too.

6. New state solar-sales laws (2026)

States keep adding solar-specific rules. Oregon's law (HB 4029, signed March 5, 2026, in effect June 5, 2026) requires:

• a short written disclosure the homeowner signs, no more than 4 pages, with the itemized price, the exact dealer fee, the payment schedule, any savings estimate and warnings
• a copy of the signed disclosure sent to the utility
• a 3-day window to cancel, with no payment taken and no work started until it ends

Breaking it counts as an unlawful trade practice under Oregon law. Other states have their own rules, and more are coming. Ask your compliance team for yours.

For managers: certify every rep before they sell alone

1. Cancellation rights: said out loud, with two copies of the form.
2. Credit check: explained before it's run.
3. UCC filing, PACE and liens: explained in plain words, from the documents.
4. The never-say list: no banned claims, in a recorded role-play.
5. Phone rules: consent, hours and Do Not Call.

Sign off on each one before a rep runs appointments alone. The full ramp is in how to train new solar sales reps. And the tax-credit lines reps still get wrong are in how to sell solar without the tax credit.

Questions