How to File a Solar Complaint in California: CSLB, CPUC, AG, DFPI

If you have a solar lease, power purchase agreement (PPA), or financed solar loan in California and something went wrong — the savings didn't show up, the salesperson made promises the contract doesn't honor, you found a UCC-1 lien on your title you didn't know about — filing a formal complaint with the right California agency is one of the most concrete steps you can take.

This is not the same as calling your solar company's customer service line, leaving a Google review, or filing a BBB complaint. Those carry no regulatory weight. A formal complaint with a California state agency creates an official record the solar company must respond to, and that record becomes part of the documented pattern regulators use to build enforcement cases.

If you're not sure which complaint path fits your situation, California Solar Exit offers a free contract review. Contact us today.

Why Agency Complaints Matter More Than You Think

California solar companies respond to regulatory complaints very differently than they respond to direct customer contact. When a homeowner calls Sunrun, Sunnova, Tesla Energy, or Freedom Forever to dispute their contract, they reach a retention department whose job is to protect the agreement. When the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), or the California Attorney General's office contacts that same company about a formal consumer complaint, the company has a legal obligation to respond — and the response goes on record.

That record matters in two ways. First, it strengthens any individual solar contract cancellation claim by creating documented evidence of a dispute predating any legal action. Second, it contributes to the complaint volume regulators need to build enforcement cases.

The Texas Attorney General's April 2026 investigation of Sunrun, Freedom Forever, Lone Star Solar Services, and CAM Solar explicitly cited over 100 formal AG complaints as part of the trigger for issuing Civil Investigative Demands. The Connecticut Attorney General's lawsuit against Sunrun cited documented complaint patterns. WGBH Boston's April 2025 investigation into Sunrun's Massachusetts operations documented hundreds of complaints filed with the Massachusetts AG — complaints that shaped the investigative record and contributed to active federal litigation including Karam v. Sunrun Inc. (Case No. 1:2024-cv-11112) and Murphy v. Sunrun, Inc. et al (Case No. 4:2025-cv-11708).

Documented complaints drive enforcement. Filing takes 15 to 30 minutes per agency. You can file with all four simultaneously. There is no cost.

The Four California Solar Complaint Agencies

1. CSLB — Contractors State License Board

What it covers: The Contractors State License Board licenses and regulates contractors in California, including solar installation contractors. Its jurisdiction covers the physical installation work, licensing compliance, permit requirements, and the conduct of the licensed contractor who performed the work on your home.

File here if:

Your system was installed improperly, incompletely, or not to California building code
The installation contractor was not licensed or used unlicensed subcontractors
Required building permits were not pulled or inspections not completed
The contractor violated written contract requirements under California Home Improvement law
The company that installed your system is different from the company you signed with — common with Sunrun, Freedom Forever, Sunnova, and other companies that use regional installation subcontractors

What most homeowners miss: Even if Sunrun or Sunnova is the named party on your lease or PPA, the physical installation was almost certainly performed by a regional subcontractor holding a separate CSLB license. The CSLB has independent jurisdiction over that contractor. You can file against the installation contractor separately from any complaint against the solar company itself — and often should.

The CSLB also specifically references a Solar Disclosure Notice that contractors are required to provide. If you didn't receive it or weren't given time to review it, note that in your complaint.

How to file: Use the CSLB online Solar Complaint Form. You'll need your contract, the contractor's license number (look for it on your permit, your contract, or by searching cslb.ca.gov), and a description of the issue. A CSLB representative will contact you to review the information. For questions, call (800) 321-CSLB (2752).

2. CPUC — California Public Utilities Commission

What it covers: The California Public Utilities Commission regulates how solar companies interact with California's investor-owned utilities — Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), Bear Valley Electric Service (BVES), PacifiCorp, and Liberty Utilities. The CPUC also enforces the consumer protection disclosure requirements governing all residential solar sales in California, including the California Solar Consumer Protection Guide — version 4 of which was published in 2025.

File here if:

You were not provided the California Solar Consumer Protection Guide before signing, or were not given time to read it
The salesperson implied an affiliation with PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, or another utility
Your contract contains "free solar" claims or misrepresented savings projections
You were rushed through a tablet signing without reviewing the contract
Your system has Permission to Operate (PTO) or interconnection delays the company has not resolved
Your system was sold using Net Energy Metering 2.0 (NEM 2.0) export economics after April 14, 2023, when NEM 3.0 took effect and reduced export credits by roughly 75%

What most homeowners miss: The Solar Consumer Protection Guide is a CPUC-mandated legal document, not optional marketing material. Solar providers submitting interconnection applications in PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, BVES, PacifiCorp, and Liberty service areas are required to collect customer initials and a signature confirming receipt. Customers 65 and older have five days to cancel; those under 65 have three days. If you received the Guide in English but your sale was conducted in Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Tagalog, or another language, that is a standalone CPUC violation — California law requires the contract to be provided in the language the sale was conducted in.

How to file: For solar-related disclosure issues, contact the CPUC directly at energy@cpuc.ca.gov or use the CPUC utility complaint portal for issues involving interconnection or net metering. For formal complaints, see the CPUC formal complaint process. The CPUC's Public Advisor's Office can be reached toll-free at 1-866-849-8390.

3. California Attorney General — Consumer Protection Section

What it covers: The California Attorney General's consumer protection division handles complaints against businesses operating in California for deceptive practices, fraud, misrepresentation, and violations of the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act (CLRA), the Unfair Competition Law (UCL), and Business & Professions Code Section 17200. The AG's office has previously pursued enforcement actions against solar companies in California and continues to receive and review solar-related complaints.

File here if:

The salesperson made materially false statements about savings, costs, or projected system performance
You were told the solar was "free," "paid for by the government," or would eliminate your utility bill
Your credit was pulled or a solar account was created without your written consent
You were told the solar company worked "with" or "through" PG&E, SCE, or SDG&E when it did not
You were presented with a liquidated damages or early termination buyout clause that was not clearly explained
Your sale was conducted in Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Tagalog, or another language but you received an English-only contract

What most homeowners miss: The California AG does not resolve individual contracts — it builds enforcement cases against patterns of conduct. But individual complaints feed directly into that pattern record. The AG's consumer complaint database is one of the first places investigators look when building a case. The Riverside County DA's February 2026 settlement with Vivint Solar — now a Sunrun subsidiary — stemmed from exactly this kind of complaint accumulation. The settlement cited alleged violations including misrepresenting relationships with utilities, misrepresenting cancellation rights at signing, obtaining credit reports without written consent, and enforcing liquidated-damages provisions alleged to be noncompliant with California law. Your complaint contributes to the enforcement record even if you never receive an individual response.

How to file: Submit the California AG Consumer Complaint Against a Business form at oag.ca.gov. For phone inquiries, contact the AG's Public Inquiry Unit at (916) 322-3360 or toll-free at (800) 952-5225.

4. DFPI — California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation

What it covers: The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation regulates financial products and services in California, including solar loans, PPAs structured as financial instruments, and Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing. This covers agreements originated through lenders like GreenSky, Mosaic Solar Loans, GoodLeap (formerly Loanpal), Dividend Finance, and Sunlight Financial. The DFPI facilitates communication between you and the financial institution and reviews complaints to assess whether further enforcement action is warranted.

File here if:

Your solar loan's interest rate, APR, or total cost of credit was not clearly disclosed
A dealer fee was built into your loan principal without your knowledge — solar companies commonly collect 20–30% of the loan amount from the lender as a "dealer fee" that inflates your balance
You were told the loan was "zero interest" or "zero percent" when it carried deferred interest
The financing agreement referenced the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in a way that was misleading or that you didn't qualify for
Your PPA is structured as a financial product and its terms — including annual escalator clauses — were not clearly disclosed
You have a PACE financing agreement and the terms were misrepresented or improperly originated

What most homeowners miss: SB 784, which took effect January 1, 2026, now requires solar dealers in California to disclose dealer fees. If your contract predates SB 784 and the dealer fee was not disclosed, that is a documented complaint category the DFPI is equipped to evaluate.

Also critical: the federal FTC Holder Rule makes the lender liable for the solar dealer's misrepresentations in many consumer financing transactions. If GreenSky or Mosaic financed your system and the sales rep made material misrepresentations to close the deal, you may have a viable claim against the lender directly — not just the solar company. The DFPI is the right California agency to receive that complaint.

How to file: Submit your complaint at dfpi.ca.gov/submit-a-complaint. For PACE-specific complaints, a separate PACE complaint form is available on the same page. For assistance, call the DFPI Consumer Services Office at 1-866-275-2677. Have your loan agreement, financing disclosures, and lender name ready before you start.

Filing With Multiple Agencies: Why It's Worth Doing

Each agency covers a different slice of the solar transaction. A deal that went wrong typically has problems in more than one area — an unlicensed subcontractor (CSLB), a missing Solar Consumer Protection Guide (CPUC), an inflated savings claim (AG), and an undisclosed dealer fee (DFPI) are four separate violations across four separate regulatory jurisdictions.

Filing with all applicable agencies simultaneously creates a multi-front paper trail the solar company must respond to on separate tracks, demonstrates a documented pattern rather than a one-off complaint, preserves your record if the situation escalates to formal legal action, and costs nothing.

The homeowners who reach resolution fastest are almost always the ones who combined formal agency complaints with a formal demand letter grounded in specific California statute — the CLRA, the Home Solicitation Sales Act, the Solar Consumer Protection Guide requirements, and applicable Truth in Lending Act (TILA) provisions — filed through a consumer advocacy firm that knows how solar companies respond to documented regulatory pressure.

For additional context on the national enforcement pattern driving these complaints, see our post on the Sunrun investigation and what California homeowners need to know.

What Happens After You File

Each agency operates on its own timeline. The CSLB will notify the contractor and give them a response window — a representative will contact you to review your information. The AG's office will log your complaint into its enforcement database. The DFPI will review your complaint, forward it to the company for a response, and send you email updates with status tracking.

None of these processes automatically terminates your solar contract. What they do — cumulatively — is create a documented regulatory record that changes the dynamic when you or a consumer advocacy firm later approach the solar company about resolution.

A Sunrun or Sunnova retention department that gets a phone call from a frustrated homeowner responds very differently than a legal or compliance team fielding simultaneous notices from the CSLB, CPUC, AG, and DFPI — all tied to the same customer and the same contract.

California Solar Exit helps homeowners build that documented record and translate it into a formal demand for cancellation or resolution. If you're ready to move from complaint to action, contact us today. The review is free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does filing a complaint cancel my solar contract?
No. Filing a regulatory complaint with the CSLB, CPUC, California AG, or DFPI does not automatically terminate your solar lease, PPA, or loan. It creates an official record that strengthens any subsequent negotiation or legal action. Solar contract cancellation in California requires a formal demand grounded in specific statute — the Consumer Legal Remedies Act (CLRA), the Home Solicitation Sales Act, or applicable Truth in Lending Act provisions — combined with documented evidence of a violation.

Can I file with multiple California agencies at the same time?
Yes, and doing so is recommended. The CSLB covers installation and contractor issues, the CPUC covers utility and disclosure violations, the AG covers business conduct and misrepresentation, and the DFPI covers solar financing. Filing with all applicable agencies creates a multi-front paper trail the solar company must respond to separately.

Will the solar company know I filed a complaint?
Yes, in most cases. The CSLB notifies the contractor directly. The CPUC and AG processes involve company notification as part of their response procedures. The DFPI forwards your complaint to the financial institution and sends you status updates. The complaint process is designed to put the company on official notice and require a documented response.

What if my solar company threatens to void my warranty because I filed a complaint?
This is a scare tactic. California law prohibits retaliation against consumers for exercising their rights, including filing complaints with regulatory agencies. A solar company threatening to void your warranty in response to a CSLB or California AG complaint would itself be a potential violation of California consumer protection law.

Which California agency handles undisclosed solar loan fees?
The DFPI handles complaints involving solar financing, including undisclosed dealer fees, misrepresented APR, and PPA terms structured as financial products. File at dfpi.ca.gov/submit-a-complaint or call 1-866-275-2677. The federal FTC Holder Rule may also give you a direct claim against the lender.

I have a PACE loan, not a traditional solar loan. Does the DFPI cover that?
Yes. The DFPI began licensing and regulating PACE program administrators in 2019 and has a separate PACE-specific consumer complaint form available at dfpi.ca.gov/submit-a-complaint. PACE program administrators are required to obtain oral confirmation of key terms from the property owner before signing and must assess the homeowner's reasonable ability to repay before approving financing.

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