CalState Solar and Roofing reviews
• last updated FEB 26, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
CalState Solar is safe enough, but you won't get the hand-holding experience top installers offer. We analyzed dozens of reviews and found a company that does solid work when everything goes according to plan but struggles when it doesn't. One customer waited three months for their permission-to-operate paperwork after a clerical error, though the rep at least owned up to the mistake instead of ghosting them. Another had to take time off work twice for a tech who never showed, then got ten minutes notice for a rescheduled visit the next day. The workmanship itself checks out. We found eight reviews praising clean installs, and one homeowner with 103 commercial panels had only a single circuit fail in four years, which the company fixed immediately. Post-sale support is where things get inconsistent. Seven reviews mention helpful follow-up, but four describe unanswered calls and unresolved issues after installation. If you're the type who needs a solar company to chase down utility delays and hold your hand through activation, look elsewhere. If you can manage some of that yourself and just want functional panels at a competitive price, CalState will get you there.
If you need a solar installer who'll answer every anxious text on a Saturday, this is your company. If you expect them to stay equally responsive after the panels go up, set your expectations lower.
Reviews That Shaped Our Verdict
Christina Guo cleared a workday to get a solar system connected after the company's scheduler, Danielle, told her the technician could only visit between 1 and 4 p.m. or they would have to wait a couple of weeks. She took time off, waited at home, and the tech never showed up; after 4 p.m. Danielle emailed that the tech had “broke down” and that they would follow up the next day. The next morning at 11:28 a.m. Danielle emailed a new window of 12–2 p.m., and ten minutes later the technician called to say he could only come right then. Both she and her partner work full time away from home and could not drop everything on such short notice, so the cleared day turned into wasted time. She walked away frustrated by the poor scheduling and last‑minute changes — the most memorable detail was the sequence of missed commitments and a rushed phone call that left two cleared workdays with no installation progress.
This homeowner had a 12-panel residential array put on their house in 2015 by Mark at Calstate Solar, and liked the result so much they asked Mark to design and install a much larger, 103-panel system for their commercial property in 2016. Before signing the commercial contract they set a tight requirement: no more than one panel should ever need to be removed to access any other panel for service. Calstate delivered on that design constraint, and the system performed well in day-to-day operation. When Enphase monitoring alerted them in December 2019 that one circuit on the 103-panel array wasn’t reporting, they phoned Chris at Calstate and he fixed it immediately. A few months later, in March 2020, two panels on the home system stopped producing; one call and Chris handled that, too. What stands out from this experience is the combination of a thoughtful installation that prioritized easy access and the company’s continued responsiveness—same-day fixes to monitoring alerts years after installation.
After sitting through thirteen meetings with eleven different solar companies over two months, Joaquin G. landed on CalState Solar largely because his rep, Mark, kept showing up — always reachable by text, email or phone and even taking a call from the sidelines of his grandkid’s soccer game. He paid cash for his whole-home system, had already left a deposit with another installer, but switched when Mark beat every competitor’s price by several thousand dollars. Even after the swap Joaquin figured he still came out ahead. The install itself wrapped in a single day. The crew inspected, worked efficiently, and left the property tidy; his wife and young children were comfortable with everyone’s conduct and professionalism. CalState fitted an Enphase setup, and the monitoring app delivered exactly what Joaquin wanted: real-time data, monthly reports, a per-panel view and clear consumption and storage overviews that aren’t intimidating for non-tech users. A hiccup came in the final permitting phase. A clerical error on CalState’s paperwork stalled the Permission To Operate filing; Mark admitted the mistake, resubmitted the paperwork, and took responsibility rather than deflecting. The
Platforms Monitored
Performance by Work Type
How We Got To Trust Score 80
Clean Record
Unauthorized Activities
Passed screening
Misleading Claims
Passed screening
Background Check
Serving customers for 10 years
Operating longer than most installers in the market.
BBB Rating
Not BBB rated.
Review Patterns
Contractor License
License information could not be confirmed.
What You Can Expect
Tammy W. had already used two other solar installers that delivered good work, so she expected a similar experience when she hired this company for her home's system. Instead she found a pattern of mistakes that nobody owned up to, and a level of sloppiness that touched every part of the project. When the panels were functioning they produced only average results, and the installation itself felt rushed and poorly executed. After the crew left, she could no longer get anyone to return calls, and several problems remained unresolved. Her lasting impression isn’t about upfront sales or price — it’s that the company walked away from the job and left her chasing fixes with no response.
After moving into a new condo development in Santa Rosa, Debra L. ran into a series of construction headaches and slow repair work — but her experience with CalState Solar cut through that frustration. She found the company prompt, communicative and professional from the first contact; they kept their commitments and got her system up and running quickly. The clearest advantage came in customer care: Danette answered questions immediately and bent around her schedule, while technicians Drew and Heath arrived friendly, confident and willing to walk through every detail until she felt comfortable. What stayed with her was that CalState Solar actually did what they promised and treated customers like a priority during a time when the rest of the build felt delayed.
Chee-Deh C. bought a new-construction home from Irvine Pacific that already had solar panels included, and she discovered as a first-time owner that the array still needed to be activated after closing escrow. She realized the activation requires utilities to be set up at least a month before applying for permission to operate (PTO), which added an unexpected timing step. After some back-and-forth and an initial failed attempt to upload documents online (her own mistake), she leaned on Dannette Pollard to sort everything out. Dannette stepped in with hands-on help, guiding the paperwork and setup so the process moved forward smoothly. What stayed with her was the personal attention — Dannette’s persistence and clarity turned a confusing first experience into a completed activation, and provided a clear reminder: if a new home comes with preinstalled panels, arrange utilities well in advance and have a dedicated contact to help with the paperwork.