Can My HOA Stop Me From Going Solar? Solar Rights in New Jersey & Central Florida
"My HOA won't let me install solar panels." It's one of the most common things we hear from homeowners in New Jersey and Central Florida — and in most cases, it's simply not true. Both states have laws on the books specifically designed to stop HOAs from blocking solar, even if the community's governing documents say otherwise.
That doesn't mean your HOA has zero say. It means the rules are more limited than most boards (and most homeowners) actually realize.
What New Jersey Law Says
New Jersey's solar access laws prevent homeowners associations from outright banning solar installations. An HOA can require that a system meet certain aesthetic or placement guidelines, but it generally cannot use those guidelines to make solar effectively impossible — for example, by requiring panel placement in a spot that gets little to no sun.
What Florida Law Says
Florida's solar rights statute is even more direct: HOAs and deed restrictions cannot prohibit homeowners from installing solar panels. Boards can set reasonable placement and specification standards, but "reasonable" has a real legal meaning here — it can't be used as a backdoor way to block installation altogether or make the system meaningfully less efficient.
What Your HOA Can Still Ask For
Even with these protections, most HOAs can still weigh in on things like:
Which side of the roof panels go on, if there's a comparably sunny option
Wiring and mounting hardware being reasonably concealed
Panels not extending above the roofline
A basic approval/notification process before installation begins
What they generally can't do is deny your application outright, demand a location that kills your system's production, or drag out approval indefinitely with no real justification.
Our Advice Before You Submit Anything
Read your HOA's specific solar policy first — many have already updated their bylaws to match state law, which speeds things up.
Get your proposed system design done professionally before you submit. A clean, detailed proposal from an experienced installer is far harder for a board to push back on than a vague request.
Put everything in writing. Verbal approvals (and verbal denials) don't hold up if there's ever a dispute later.
We've Been Through This With Homeowners Before
At Advisor Solar, we work with homeowners across New Jersey and Central Florida who are navigating HOA approval as part of their solar installation — and we know how to put together a proposal that checks every box an HOA typically asks for. If your association is giving you the runaround, we're happy to walk through your specific situation and help you figure out your actual rights and next steps.
Ready to go solar without the HOA headache? Contact Advisor Solar today for a free consultation.