Somewhere in your house is the paperwork that proves who installed your SunPower system, what equipment sits on your roof, and what protection came with it. If you cannot put your hands on it, you are not alone. Records get lost in a move, buried in a filing cabinet, or left behind by a previous owner. The good news is that a solar installation leaves a wide paper trail across your own files, your monitoring account, your city permit office, and the state license board. This guide walks California homeowners through where to look, in the order that finds your records fastest, and what to do if the installer is no longer around.
Why Your Original Installer Records Matter
It is easy to treat solar paperwork as clutter until the day you actually need it. That day usually arrives at an inconvenient moment.
When will you need these records?
You will reach for your installer records more often than you might expect. A warranty claim needs proof of the installation date and the equipment model. Selling your home means transferring the records and warranty to a buyer, and a serious buyer will ask for them. Adding a battery or expanding the array requires the original system design and electrical details. Even a simple service call goes faster when a technician knows exactly what was installed and when.
What counts as your installer records
The full set is broader than a single contract. It includes the sales and installation agreement, the equipment list with panel and inverter model numbers, the permit issued by your city or county, the utility interconnection agreement, the final inspection sign-off, the warranty documents, and your monitoring account login. You may not have every piece, and that is fine. Each source below fills a different gap, so two or three of them usually rebuild the whole picture.
Start With the Paperwork You Already Have
Before you contact anyone, spend twenty minutes searching your own records. This is the fastest path, and it often ends here.
Dig through your files and inbox
Look for a folder from the year your system was installed, then widen the search. The original installer almost always emailed a signed contract, a design proposal, and a welcome packet, so search your email for “solar,” “SunPower,” “installation,” and the installer’s name if you remember any part of it. Check cloud storage and any shared family drive. If you financed the system, your loan documents name the installer and often restate the system size and cost.
Read the clues on the equipment itself
The hardware carries its own record. The inverter, and often a placard inside your electrical panel or on the array disconnect, lists model and serial numbers. Snap a clear photo of every label you can safely reach from the ground. These serial numbers let a manufacturer or a service company identify the exact product and, in many cases, trace the installing dealer. Do not climb onto a steep or high roof for this. A photo from a ladder at the eave, or from the ground, is enough.
Check Your SunPower Monitoring Account
Most SunPower systems came with a monitoring account, historically the mySunPower app, that quietly stores a great deal of what you are looking for.
Your monitoring profile often shows the system’s commissioning date, the equipment registered to your address, the system size, and sometimes the name of the installing dealer. If you can still log in, take screenshots of the system details page and the equipment list before anything changes. If you have lost access or the app will not load, work through the steps for regaining access to your mySunPower or SunPower monitoring account, since a working login is one of the richest single sources of installation data you have. If a previous owner set up the account, you may need to reset the login using the email tied to the original purchase.
Pull Public Permit and Interconnection Records
Here is the part many homeowners do not realize: your installation is documented in public records that you can request, even if you have thrown every piece of paper away. Two offices hold the key pieces.
Your city or county building department
Every legal solar installation in California requires a building or electrical permit. Your local building department keeps that permit on file, and it names the contractor who pulled it, lists the scope of work, and records the final inspection date. Many California cities now offer an online permit portal where you can search by property address and view or download the record yourself. If there is no portal, a phone call or a public records request to the building department will retrieve it. This single document frequently answers the “who installed my system” question outright.
Your utility’s interconnection agreement
Before your system could send power to the grid, your utility approved an interconnection agreement, sometimes called permission to operate. Your utility, whether that is PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, or a municipal provider, keeps this on file tied to your service address and account. Contact the utility’s solar or net metering department and ask for a copy. It confirms your interconnection date, your system size, and the metering arrangement, all of which matter for warranty timing and for any future system changes.
Find the Installer Through California License Records
If you have a company name but little else, or you want to verify the name you found, the state license board turns a name into a full profile.
Use the CSLB license lookup
The California Contractors State License Board maintains a free public database at cslb.ca.gov. Search by the company name or the license number, and you can pull up the contractor’s license status, the classifications they hold, their bonding and workers’ compensation history, and any disciplinary record. This tells you whether the outfit that installed your system was properly licensed and gives you an official record of the business entity, which is invaluable if the company has since changed names or been acquired.
Confirm the company is still operating
Finding the installer’s name is step one. Whether that business is still around is a separate question, and it matters for who can service your system under any original terms. Once you have the name, our guide on how to confirm whether that installer is still operating walks through checking active license status, business filings, and current contact information, so you know whether to call the original installer or find a new service provider.
What to Do When the Original Installer Is Gone
Sometimes the trail leads to a company that has closed, and this is where SunPower owners understandably get anxious. It helps to be precise about what did and did not happen.
The original SunPower Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2024, and its assets were sold that September. For owners of a pre-October 2024 legacy system, which ended the original manufacturer-backed installer relationship, this is a servicing and warranty question rather than a sign that your panels have a problem. The hardware on your roof is unaffected and keeps producing. A separate company, SunPower Inc., formerly Complete Solaria, took the SunPower name in late 2025 and sells and supports current SunPower products today. It is a distinct, active business and should not be confused with the bankrupt predecessor. If you want the full timeline, we cover what the 2024 bankruptcy actually changed in detail.
With your records in hand, you have options even if the original installer is gone. Start by understanding who honors your warranty now so you know what protection survives. For everyday repairs, any qualified California solar contractor can service a SunPower system regardless of who originally installed it, and your permit, serial numbers, and interconnection records give them everything they need to work efficiently. If you are researching a system you do not yet own, the same records are exactly what you should gather when doing due diligence on that system.
Building a Complete Paper Trail for Your System
Recovering your installer records comes down to working the sources in order: your own files first, then your monitoring account, then public permit and interconnection records, and finally the state license lookup. Any two of those usually rebuild the full history, and together they protect your warranty, your resale value, and your ability to service the system. Once you have everything, store a digital copy somewhere safe. If you would like help tracking down records or servicing an existing SunPower array, you can reach the SunPower Estimate team, and we will point you in the right direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out who installed my solar panels?
Start with your own contract and welcome packet, then check your SunPower monitoring account for the registered dealer. If those come up empty, your city or county building department holds the permit, which names the contractor who pulled it. That permit record is usually the definitive answer to who installed your system.
Can I get my solar permit if I lost the paperwork?
Yes. The permit is a public record kept by your local building or electrical department. Many California cities let you search and download it online by property address, and where there is no portal, a phone call or a public records request will retrieve a copy that names the installer and shows the inspection dates.
Where can I look up a solar installer’s license in California?
Use the California Contractors State License Board database at cslb.ca.gov. You can search by company name or license number to see license status, classifications, bonding, and any disciplinary history. It is free, and it confirms whether the company that installed your system was properly licensed.
What if the company that installed my SunPower system went out of business?
Your panels keep working, and your records still have value. The original SunPower Corporation went through bankruptcy in 2024, which affected legacy servicing rather than the hardware itself. Current SunPower products are supported by SunPower Inc., a separate active company, and any qualified local solar contractor can service your system using your permit and equipment records.
Do I need the original installer records to sell my home?
They make the sale much smoother. Buyers and their agents want proof of the system’s age, equipment, permit, and warranty status, and having those documents ready supports a clean warranty transfer. If you cannot find them, reconstruct the set from your monitoring account and public permit and interconnection records before you list.
