Your 3-Day Right to Cancel a Solar Contract: What the Company Will Not Tell You
Federal law gives you 72 hours to cancel any contract signed at your home — including solar. Most solar companies bury this right in fine print and hope you miss it. Here is exactly how to use it.
The solar salesperson came to your door, gave you a compelling pitch, and you signed. Now it has been 24 hours and you are having second thoughts. Here is something the solar company almost certainly did not emphasize: federal law gives you the right to cancel that contract within 3 business days, no questions asked, with a full refund of any deposit. This is called the FTC Cooling-Off Rule, and it applies to any sale made at your home for $25 or more.
The FTC Cooling-Off Rule: Your Federal Cancellation Right
Under 16 CFR Part 429, the Federal Trade Commission requires that any seller who solicits a sale at your home must give you two copies of a cancellation notice and inform you of your right to cancel within 3 business days. The contract must include a notice of this right in at least 10-point type. If the seller fails to provide this notice — or provides it in a way that obscures or minimizes it — the 3-day window may be extended, and the contract may be voidable at any time.
How to Cancel: The Exact Steps
Step 1: Write a cancellation notice. It does not need to be formal — it just needs to clearly state that you are canceling the contract. Include your name, address, the date of the original contract, and a statement that you are exercising your right to cancel under the FTC Cooling-Off Rule. Step 2: Send it via certified mail with return receipt requested. This creates a legal record of the cancellation date. Step 3: Keep a copy of everything. The company has 10 days to return your deposit and 20 days to pick up any goods left at your property.
Check If Your Cancellation Notice Was Defective
A defective notice may extend your cancellation window indefinitely. Free review.
Get Free Case Review →Do NOT cancel by phone or email alone. The FTC Cooling-Off Rule requires written notice. A phone call is not sufficient and can be denied by the company. Always send certified mail.
What If the 3-Day Window Has Passed?
If more than 3 business days have passed, the FTC Cooling-Off Rule no longer applies as a standalone cancellation right. However, there are several other legal grounds that may allow you to cancel the contract: failure to provide the required cancellation notice (which extends the window), deceptive sales practices, TILA violations, state consumer protection laws, and unconscionable contract terms. These are the grounds our attorneys evaluate in a free contract review.
Always cancel in writing via certified mail. A phone call is not legally sufficient under the FTC Cooling-Off Rule.
The Dirty Secret: Most Solar Companies Violate the Notice Requirement
In our attorneys' experience reviewing hundreds of solar contracts, a significant percentage contain defective or missing cancellation notices. The notice is buried in fine print, printed in type smaller than required, not provided as a separate document, or not provided at all. Each of these failures is a violation of federal law — and each one potentially extends your cancellation window far beyond 3 days. This is one of the first things our attorneys check in a free contract review.
If your solar contract does not have a clearly visible, properly formatted cancellation notice on a separate page, your 3-day window may never have legally started. This is a powerful cancellation ground regardless of how long ago you signed.
Check If Your Cancellation Notice Was Defective
A defective notice may extend your cancellation window indefinitely. Free review.
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