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Solar Owner Help In Virginia

Virginia licenses contractors through the Board for Contractors at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), which also runs a recovery fund for some homeowner losses. Here is what an owner whose installer is gone should know.

Who Licenses Solar Work

The Board for Contractors definitions in 18VAC50-22-30 include an Alternative Energy System Contracting (AES) specialty, defined as installing, repairing, or improving alternative energy generation systems from the customer's meter. The same definition says the specialty does not provide for electrical, plumbing, gas fitting, or HVAC functions. So when you check a solar company, look at every classification and specialty on its license, and ask who holds the license for the electrical part of the job.

How To Check A License

Use the DPOR License Lookup before you sign, and match the name and number to your contract and permit.

Where To File A Complaint

The DPOR complaint page says a report must be in writing and received within three years of the act or occurrence, with a longer window in some cases of willful misrepresentation. It says DPOR and its boards cannot require a business to refund money or correct deficiencies, and that in some cases private legal action may be your only recourse. If an investigation finds a probable violation, the board may require remedial education, impose a fine, or suspend or revoke a license. It lists Complaint Analysis at (804) 367-8504.

The Recovery Fund

The Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund page says a homeowner with a Virginia court judgment against a licensed residential contractor may be eligible if the judgment rests on improper or dishonest conduct. It defines that as including only the wrongful taking or conversion of money, property, or other things of value that involves fraud, material misrepresentation, gross negligence, continued incompetence, or intentional violation of the Uniform Statewide Building Code, and says it does not include mere breach of contract. Other conditions it lists:

• The contractor must have been licensed when the conduct occurred, and the work must be on your Virginia residence.
• If the contractor was bonded, you seek recovery through the bond first.
• If the contractor filed bankruptcy, you file a claim with the bankruptcy court first, then with the fund if that does not cover it.
• A single claim is limited to $30,000, and claims against one contractor are limited to $100,000 per biennium, prorated if they exceed it.

Net Metering Status

The Code of Virginia section 56-594 limits residential net metering systems to 25 kilowatts, and says electric cooperatives run net metering under a separate section, 56-594.01. It also says that when the State Corporation Commission holds a net metering proceeding, it sets the terms of a successor tariff "applicable to new requests for net energy metering service." The Code site shows two versions of the section, one in effect through December 31, 2026 and one effective January 1, 2027, and its history line lists 2026 acts. Comparing the two versions, the 25 kilowatt limit, the cooperative carve-out, and the successor tariff wording read the same. The visible 2026 change adds a requirement that eligible customer-generators not be a "small portable solar generation device" as defined in section 56-596.8. We did not read the State Corporation Commission orders, so ask your utility which tariff your account is on before a repair or expansion that could need a new interconnection request.

Steps For Any Orphaned System

1. Gather your contract, permit, equipment list, warranty papers, and any loan or lease documents.
2. Call each equipment maker with your serial numbers. EnergySage guide to installer bankruptcy (updated January 7, 2026) says manufacturer warranties remain valid regardless of installer status, and that the manufacturer can often point you to installers certified on its equipment. It also quotes a service coordinator warning that if an installer is not certified on your equipment, those warranties could be determined to be void, so ask the manufacturer before you hire.
3. If you lease or have a power purchase agreement, contact the company that owns the system before hiring anyone. See Solar Lease Or PPA When The Company Is Gone.
4. Check any new company's license with the agency above before you sign, and get the scope and price in writing.

Agency rules, rates, and contact details change. Treat the dates on the sources here as a snapshot and confirm on the agency's own site.

If you want a local service company to look at your system, describe it in the system check form. We name the one company before anyone contacts you.

Related: Installer Went Out Of Business, Solar Warranty Help, Solar System Not Producing.