Solar for Directly Metered Manufactured and Mobile Home Parks
If your mobile home has its own utility account, you already have the right to install solar. You may not know that yet — and that right is stronger than most people realize.
You have your own utility account, and that changes everything
A directly metered mobile home park is one where each home has its own utility meter and its own account with the power company, the same setup as a standard single family house. If your park was built on or after January 1, 1997, this is almost certainly your situation, since California law requires individual metering for parks built from that date forward. That's different from a master metered park, where the park owner holds one shared utility meter and bills residents through internal submeters.
Because your home has its own account, solar works here the way it works everywhere else: standard installation, standard net metering, full credit for the excess power your system produces. For the bigger picture of how solar works across both metering setups, see our manufactured and mobile home solar overview.
California law protects your right to install
California Senate Bill 1190, passed in the 2023 to 2024 legislative session, gives residents in directly metered parks the explicit right to install solar on their homes. It prohibits park management from blocking that installation or placing unfair restrictions on it.
SB 1190 builds on a longer standing protection, the 1978 Solar Rights Act, which has protected the right to install and operate solar generally across California for decades.
If you've been told no by your park, or you've simply assumed you'd need permission, that assumption is the thing standing between you and solar, not the law.
What that means in practice
Your park can still apply reasonable rules around safety and how the installation is done. What it cannot do is block you outright or make solar unreasonably difficult because it doesn't want panels on its property.
No credit check, no money down
Solnr installs your system at no upfront cost and owns it for the term. You pay only for the power it produces, at a rate locked in below what you currently pay, and if it isn't producing, you don't pay. This is a power purchase agreement, not a loan or lease — see how the agreement works for the full structure.
What happens at the end of your agreement
Buy the system for a small amount, renew the agreement, or have it removed with your roof restored at no cost. Whatever you choose, you're never stuck.
If you sell your home
The agreement transfers to your buyer without a credit check, and we handle the paperwork — unlike financed solar, which normally requires the buyer to pass a credit check to take over the loan.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my park's permission to install solar?
No, not in the way many residents assume. California Senate Bill 1190 gives residents in directly metered parks the right to install solar, and prohibits park management from blocking it or imposing unfair restrictions. Reasonable safety rules still apply, but a park cannot simply say no.
How do I know if my park is directly metered?
If your power bill comes straight from the utility company rather than through your park's office, you're directly metered. Parks built on or after January 1, 1997 are required to be set up this way under California law.
What does SB 1190 actually protect?
It protects your right to install and use a solar energy system on your mobilehome without arbitrary interference from park management, provided the installation meets health and safety requirements.
Do I need good credit to get solar?
No. There is no credit check at any point in this process.
What does it cost up front?
Nothing. Solnr owns the system and covers the full cost of installation. You pay only for the power it produces, at a locked-in rate below your current utility cost.
What if the system stops producing power?
You don't pay. That's built into the agreement. Solnr also provides repair and maintenance services.
What happens if I sell my home?
The agreement transfers to the new owner with no credit check required, and Solnr handles the paperwork.
What happens at the end of the agreement term?
You can buy the system for a small amount, renew, or have it removed with your roof restored at no cost.
Ready to use the right you already have?
If your home is on its own meter, the path to solar is more direct than you may have been told.