Cooling-Off Rights: The Cancellation Windows Nobody Tells You About
You signed a solar contract at your kitchen table. The salesperson is gone. The panels aren't up yet — or maybe they are. Either way, you're having second thoughts. Here's the part nobody explained at signing: the law probably gave you a cancellation window. The only question is whether it's still open.
The federal floor: 3 business days
The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule (16 CFR Part 429) covers any sale of $25+ made at your home or somewhere other than the seller's permanent place of business. That describes most residential solar sales. You get 3 business days — not calendar days; Sundays and federal holidays don't count — to cancel in writing, no penalty, no explanation needed.
Two details that matter enormously:
- The seller was required to hand you two copies of a cancellation form and tell you about the right out loud. If they rushed you through a tablet signature and never gave you the form, your 3-day clock may never have started. This is the most underused loophole in solar cancellations.
- It must be in writing. A phone call doesn't count. Send it certified mail with return receipt, and hand-deliver a copy if you can.
State extensions: 3 days is just the floor
Many states extend the window for solar specifically:
| State | Window |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 30 business days on qualifying door-to-door sales — strongest in the country |
| Utah | Up to 15 days after your second post-install electric bill — the window can survive installation |
| Rhode Island | 7 business days under its 2024 retailer law |
| Texas | 5 business days for residential solar (SB 1036) |
| California | 3 days standard; 5 days for buyers 65+ |
| North Dakota | 15 business days for buyers 65+ |
| Nevada | 10 business days for buyers 60+ |
| Maryland | 7 business days for buyers 65+ |
Check your state's full breakdown — and remember, when two windows apply, you get the longer one.
What "in writing" actually means
Your notice needs four things: your name, your address, the contract date or reference number, and the words "I hereby cancel this contract." Date it, sign it, and send it certified mail, return receipt requested before midnight of the last business day. Within 10 business days of receiving it, the company must refund anything you've paid.
Past the window?
Then the game changes from cancellation to misrepresentation claims and regulatory complaints. Different tools, same goal.