California's Home Solicitation Sales Act

State laws · 8 min read · Updated May 5, 2026

California’s Home Solicitation Sales Act (Civil Code §§ 1689.5–1689.15) gives California consumers some of the strongest cancellation rights in the country for door-to-door sales — including most residential solar transactions.

What it covers

The Act applies when:

• The sale is for $25 or more.
• The seller (or its agent) personally solicits the sale.
• The agreement is signed at a place other than the seller’s appropriate trade premises — including the consumer’s home.

Most residential solar sales fit this definition.

Right to cancel

The buyer has the right to cancel the contract until midnight of the third business day after signing. The seller must provide:

• A completed contract or receipt with the date of the transaction.
• The seller’s name and address.
• A statement of the buyer’s right to cancel, in at least 10-point boldface type.
• Two copies of a Notice of Cancellation form, completed and dated.

Senior citizens (65+): extended cancellation

For door-to-door home-improvement contracts where the buyer is 65 or older, California extends the cancellation period to five business days (Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159).

Language requirements

If the sale was negotiated primarily in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean, the seller must deliver a translated copy of the contract before the buyer signs (Civ. Code § 1632). Failure to comply can render the contract rescindable.

This is one of the most powerful provisions for California homeowners — many solar sales to non-English-speaking households were closed in the buyer’s home language but executed in English-only paperwork.

Cancellation extension when notice is defective

If the seller never provided a proper Notice of Cancellation, the cancellation period does not begin to run. The buyer’s right to cancel persists until the notice is properly delivered.

Remedies on cancellation

Within 10 days of receiving cancellation notice, the seller must:

• Refund all money paid;
• Return any property given as a trade-in;
• Cancel and return any negotiable instruments (including loan paperwork).

The seller must also remove any goods left at the buyer’s premises within 20 days, at the seller’s expense.

Practical takeaways

• Pull your solar contract and look for the Notice of Cancellation. If it’s missing, your cancellation right may still be alive.
• If the sale was conducted in another language but the contract is in English, you may have a translation-statute claim.
• If the buyer was 65+ and signed in their home, the 5-day window applies.

This is California law as a general overview, not legal advice. Other states have similar (and sometimes broader) statutes. Free state-specific review →