Your roof got approved, the scope came back, and there is no line anywhere for the solar. Or there is a line, and it is a few hundred dollars for a job that runs into the thousands. This happens on Northern Colorado hail claims constantly, and it usually gets fixed with a document rather than an argument.
Coverage and scope are two different questions. Our guide to whether insurance covers solar detach and reset answers the first one. This page is about the second, because when an insurance adjuster did not include detach and reset in the written scope, the coverage side of your claim is usually still fine. What is missing is a number the carrier can put its name to.
The fix has a name. It is called a supplement, and on a hail claim it is ordinary paperwork.
Why the scope came back with no solar on it
The reason is duller than most homeowners expect. The person who wrote your scope is a roof specialist working in roofing estimating software, walking a lot of roofs in a short window after a storm. Weld County sits in one of the most hail-struck parts of the country, so a big event puts a lot of roofs in front of a few adjusters.
Arrays fall through that process two ways. Sometimes the solar gets noted in the file and never priced, so the scope acknowledges the panels but allows nothing to move them. Sometimes there is one line carrying a number that reads like a general obstruction allowance.
Neither is bad faith, and neither ends your claim. It is a gap between what the roofing trade prices every day and what the solar trade prices every day, and paper closes it. If you want the plain version of the work itself, our explainer on what a solar detach and reset actually is walks through the sequence.
What a supplement actually is, in plain words
A supplement is a request to revise an approved scope once the real cost of the work is documented. That is the whole idea. The first scope is written fast, and the supplement is the correction that comes after somebody looks closely.
Roofers file them all the time, for rotten decking nobody could see until tear-off or flashing that was not on the original list. A solar supplement is the same request with a bigger number attached, which is why the carrier wants to see where the number comes from.
What to send when the insurance adjuster did not include detach and reset
This is the part that decides the outcome. The document that does the work is an itemized written quote from a solar contractor, and itemized is the word that matters. A single lump sum gives a desk adjuster nothing to work with. A quote broken into lines lets them match your lines against the lines in their own estimating system, and that match is how these get approved.
A quote a carrier can actually read includes:
- Panel count and array layout, including how many roof planes it sits on.
- Racking and attachment method, since rail systems and mount types are not interchangeable.
- Roof pitch, height, and access, because a steep two-story array is a different job from a walkable single story.
- Detach labor and panel storage during the reroof, called out separately.
- Reset labor with new flashed mounts at every attachment point, not reused penetrations.
- Electrical disconnect, recommissioning, and production testing after the reset.
Send photographs of the array as it sits now, before anyone touches it, and send the original scope with the missing or low line pointed out plainly.
On pricing, detach and reset generally runs $200 to $500 per panel. A small array of 8 to 12 panels usually lands between $1,500 and $2,500, a typical 20-panel system runs around $3,500, and a large or complex array can reach $6,000 to $8,000 and up. Recommissioning is part of a reset, not an add-on, and storage during the roof work is usually included. If your allowed number sits well below that, our post on why solar detach and reset quotes vary explains what drives the spread. If you need that itemized quote written up for your file, call (970) 286-3417 and we will come count your panels.
Who files it, and the order things usually run in
On most reroofs the roofing contractor already manages the claim paperwork, and that is who files the supplement with your solar quote attached. The usual sequence:
- The roof loss is approved and the first scope is issued.
- You get a written itemized solar quote before the roof is scheduled.
- Your roofer submits the supplement with that quote and the array photos.
- The carrier revises the scope, asks for more detail, or comes back short.
- The panels come off, the roof gets replaced, and the panels go back on new flashed mounts.
Be clear on where we sit in that list. We write the quote and we do the solar work. We do not file your claim, we do not work for your carrier, and we are not adjusters or insurance advisers. What we can give you is what the job costs and what it takes, in writing.
Your job is step two. Get the solar quote in writing before the roof is scheduled. A quote that arrives mid-tear-off is a quote nobody has time to read.
The panels should not come off on a handshake
Supplements take time. Days at minimum, longer when the file goes back and forth. That is uncomfortable when your roofer has a crew and a date, and it is exactly where homeowners get talked into the bad version of this.
The bad version is simple. The roof starts with the solar question still open, on a verbal promise about who is paying for the array. Then the panels are on the driveway, the roof is half torn off, and your leverage is gone. If something goes wrong during that removal you are also into a much messier argument about who pays when a roofer damages solar panels.
A detach is typically one day and a reset typically one day, so waiting for a written answer does not wreck your project the way people fear. Get a revised scope, or a signed agreement about who covers the solar line if the supplement falls short, before the crew arrives.
If it comes back denied or still short
Ask for the reason in writing. A decision you can read is a decision you can respond to.
Then check one specific thing, because it is the most common fixable misread we see. Look at whether the line was priced as a removal only rather than a removal and a reinstallation. Those are different jobs. Pulling an array permanently and never putting it back generally runs $1,500 to $3,000, while a full detach and reset on a 20-panel system runs around $3,500, because the reset half includes new flashed mounts, rebuilt attachment points, and bringing the system back online. If half the job got priced, the answer is a corrected line, not a fight.
It helps to know which disagreement you are in. A dispute about price is a conversation about numbers, answered with a more detailed quote. A dispute about whether the work is covered at all belongs with your carrier and your policy documents, not with us. Some homeowners bring in outside help at that point, and that is your call to make.
Damaged panels are a separate claim item from the removal labor and need their own documentation. If hail hit the array as well as the shingles, our post on hail-damaged solar panel replacement cost covers how that side gets priced.
Where your deductible and your own money fit
Your deductible comes off the claim as a whole, not off the solar line separately. Getting detach and reset added to the scope does not make it free money, it moves the work onto the claim instead of onto your checkbook.
Some of it stays yours either way. Anything you add while the panels are down is an upgrade rather than a restoration, so new panels or a relocated array come out of pocket, even though mid-reroof is the cheapest time to do them.
If your reroof is not a claim at all, there is no supplement and no adjuster in the picture, just a straight quote for solar detach and reset in Greeley. Either way the document that starts everything is the same one. Ask for an itemized written quote with your panel count on it before your roofer picks a date.
Greeley Solar Reset provides solar detach and reset, panel removal, and storm-damage service across Greeley, Evans, Windsor, Johnstown, Eaton, Firestone, Fort Lupton, and the rest of Weld and Larimer counties. Free written estimates. Licensed and insured. Call (970) 286-3417 or request an estimate.
FAQ
What is a supplement on a roof insurance claim?
A supplement is a request to revise an approved claim scope once the real cost of the work is documented. It is filed after the first scope is written, usually by the roofing contractor handling the paperwork. Supplements are routine on reroofs and get used for hidden decking damage, extra flashing, and other costs the first walkthrough could not price.
Why did the adjuster leave the solar detach and reset off the scope?
Usually because the person writing it is a roof specialist working in roofing software, often after a large hail event with many roofs to get through. The array gets noted but not priced, or it gets a small general allowance instead of a real detach and reset number. That is a pricing gap between two trades rather than a decision about your coverage.
Will a supplement for solar detach and reset get approved?
Nobody honest can promise that, and any contractor who does is guessing. What helps is documentation the carrier can check: an itemized written quote with panel count, racking type, roof access, and the reset work broken out, plus photos of the array before the work starts. A lump sum with no detail behind it is the version most likely to stall.
The scope has a solar line but the number looks too low. What should I check first?
Check whether it was priced as a removal only instead of a removal and a reinstallation. A permanent removal generally runs $1,500 to $3,000, while a full detach and reset on a 20-panel array runs around $3,500, because the reset includes new flashed mounts and bringing the system back online. That misread is common and gets corrected with a line item.
Should I let the roofer start before the solar question is settled?
No. Once the array is off and the roof is open, you have lost the leverage to sort out who pays for it. Get a revised scope or a written agreement about the solar line before the crew shows up. A detach is typically one day and a reset typically one day, so waiting for an answer in writing rarely costs you the project.