With its year-round, abundant sunshine, Arizona is a natural leader in residential solar energy. Homeowners across the state have invested in solar to take control of their power bills and embrace a cleaner future. But this rapid growth has also led to a wave of disputes, leaving many families with underperforming systems, shoddy workmanship, and broken promises.
If you are one of these frustrated homeowners, the path to resolution in Arizona is unique. It doesn’t always start with a lawsuit. The state has created a powerful agency to regulate the industry and protect consumers. Understanding how to leverage this system is the first step, but if that fails, finding the right attorney to sue a solar company in Arizona who knows this specific process is critical.
Your First Call: The Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC)
Before you even think about court, your most powerful tool in Arizona is often the Registrar of Contractors (ROC). The ROC is the state agency responsible for licensing and regulating all contractors, including solar installers. They have a formal complaint process that is designed to be a homeowner’s first line of defense.
Filing a complaint with the ROC can be incredibly effective. The agency has the power to:
- Investigate Your Claim: They will send an inspector to your home to assess shoddy workmanship, incorrect installations, or equipment that doesn’t match your contract.
- Force Corrective Action: The ROC can order a contractor to make necessary repairs to your system to bring it into compliance with state standards and your original agreement.
- Take Disciplinary Action: The threat of the ROC suspending or revoking a company’s license is a massive incentive for them to resolve your dispute fairly and quickly.
For many issues related to installation quality and equipment, the ROC is the proper and most efficient venue to start.
The “Arizona Truth in Solar” Act: Your Right to Clear Disclosures
For homeowners with a solar lease or Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), Arizona provides another specific protection under the “Truth in Solar” Act (A.R.S. § 44-1761). This law requires sellers to provide a clear, one-page disclosure summary cover sheet for any solar leasing agreement.
This document must clearly state all the key financial terms, including:
- The total of all payments due over the life of the contract.
- Any applicable termination fees or penalties.
- The interest rate and any escalator clauses that increase your payments over time.
If you have a lease or PPA and did not receive this specific, easy-to-read disclosure, or if its contents are different from your main contract, it is a significant violation of state law.
Navigating Utility Agreements with APS and SRP
Another common source of disputes in Arizona involves the complex net metering and billing policies of the state’s major utilities, like Arizona Public Service (APS) and Salt River Project (SRP). Salespeople often make overly optimistic promises about the credits you will receive on your utility bill, which may not align with the utility’s actual, often complicated, rate plans. If your utility bills are significantly higher than what the salesperson guaranteed, it’s crucial to compare your contract’s promises against the official utility tariff documents.
When It’s Time to Escalate
While the ROC is powerful, it primarily handles issues of workmanship and licensing. It may not be able to resolve complex financial disputes, cases of outright fraud, or situations where you’ve suffered significant damages.
This is when you need a legal expert. If the ROC process fails, or if your case involves deceptive financing and violations of consumer fraud acts, it’s time to find a qualified attorney to sue your solar company in Arizona. They can take the evidence gathered during the ROC complaint and from your documents to build a powerful civil case.
At SolarDispute.com, we specialize in preparing you for this two-pronged approach. We analyze your contracts for disclosure violations while also preparing the technical evidence needed for a strong ROC complaint. We build the comprehensive file you need to pursue every available avenue for resolution.