# Florida HOA Solar Panel Rights: What the Law Allows (2026) > Under Florida Statutes 163.04, a deed restriction, covenant, or declaration may not prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting a solar collector, clothesline, or other renewable energy device on a home; any such provision is void, and the association cannot deny permission to install one. The one thing the board may control is roof placement: it can specify where on the roof the panels go, but only within an orientation facing south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south, and only if that choice does not impair the system's performance. For a buyer, an older set of CC&Rs may still carry a solar ban that no longer holds up, and the architectural rules in the packet show how the board treats requests. _Source: https://hoanotes.com/hoa/florida/solar-panels/ | Last reviewed 2026-06-03_ ## What the law protects Florida Statutes 163.04 voids any covenant that bans a solar collector, a clothesline, or another renewable energy device on a residential building or lot. The association cannot prohibit them, and it cannot deny an owner permission to install one. The board keeps one narrow control: roof placement. It may decide where on the roof a solar collector sits, but only within an orientation that faces south or falls within 45 degrees east or west of due south, and only when that placement does not impair how well the system works. A placement rule that cuts the system's output can read as effectively prohibiting solar, which the statute does not allow. ## Why a buyer should care If you plan to add solar, the rules in the packet tell you how much room you have and how the board has handled past requests. And a CC&R that still reads 'no solar panels' or 'no clotheslines' is a tell: the document is out of date, and an out-of-date document often means other provisions have drifted from current Florida law too. ## What to check in the disclosure packet Read these together before you make an offer: - The CC&Rs and architectural rules for any solar or clothesline prohibition, which is likely void but signals a document that needs updating. - Any roof-orientation rule, since that is the one control the board can enforce. - Recent board minutes for how solar applications were approved or denied. - Whether the architectural review process has clear timelines or leaves approval to open-ended board discretion. ## Why this matters to your offer Solar rights rarely sink a deal, but a stale governing document raises a question about the rest of the packet. If the solar ban is unenforceable, what else in the CC&Rs no longer matches Florida law? An HOA Notes brief reads the CC&Rs, the architectural rules, and the minutes together, flags provisions that conflict with the statutes, and cites the page behind every finding. ## What the statute says **Florida Statutes section 163.04** (Solar and renewable energy devices). A deed restriction, covenant, declaration, or similar binding agreement may not prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting installation of solar collectors, clotheslines, or other devices based on renewable energy resources on any residential building or lot; any such provision is void. The association may designate the specific location on a roof where solar collectors may be installed, limited to an orientation facing south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south, provided the designation does not impair the effective operation of the system. ## Florida HOA solar panel rules: common questions ### Can a Florida HOA stop me from installing solar panels? No. Florida Statutes 163.04 makes a covenant that prohibits a solar collector void, and the association cannot deny permission to install one. ### What can a Florida HOA still control about solar? Roof placement, within limits. It may specify where on the roof the panels go, but only within an orientation facing south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south, and only if that does not impair the system's performance. ### Can a Florida HOA ban clotheslines? No. Section 163.04 protects clotheslines along with solar collectors as renewable energy devices; a covenant banning them is void. ### The CC&Rs say no solar panels. Does that bind me? That provision is most likely void under 163.04, but confirm the current rules and any roof-orientation requirement. A blanket ban also suggests the document is out of date, which is worth a closer read. ## Sources (verified 2026-06-03) 1. Florida Statutes section 163.04 (energy devices based on renewable resources), The Florida Legislature. Verified 2026-06-03. https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0163/Sections/0163.04.html 2. Florida Statutes Section 163.04, Energy Devices Based on Renewable Resources, Onecle (Florida Statutes). Verified 2026-06-03. https://law.onecle.com/florida/title-xi/163.04.html 3. Florida COA and HOA Restrictions on Solar Panels: What You Need to Know, The Orlando Law Group. Verified 2026-06-03. https://www.theorlandolawgroup.com/blog/all/florida-coa-hoa-restrictions-on-solar-panels-what-you-need-to-know/ HOA Notes is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.