Asbestos was banned in Britain in stages rather than on one day. The amphiboles, blue and brown asbestos, were prohibited in 1985. White asbestos, chrysotile, followed in 1999, with the prohibition taking full effect and remaining stocks working through into 2000. That is why the practical rule used by surveyors is that any building built or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos, and any building after it should not.
The dates
Import and use of amosite and crocidolite, the brown and blue types, were prohibited in 1985. Chrysotile, white asbestos, was prohibited by regulations made in 1999. Existing materials were not required to be removed, and products already installed stayed where they were, which is the whole reason this subject still exists thirty years later.
Why 2000 is the working date
Materials in stock and in supply chains continued to be installed for a period after the prohibition, so surveyors treat 2000 rather than 1999 as the practical cut off. A building finished in 1998 is squarely in scope. A building finished in 2005 should be clear, and a refurbishment in an older building can reintroduce older materials that were reused.
What was used in homes
Textured ceiling coatings, floor tiles and their adhesives, cement roof and wall sheeting to garages and outbuildings, rainwater goods, water tanks and cisterns, insulating board around heaters and windows and in airing cupboards, flue pipes, loose fill loft insulation, and boiler and pipe insulation. Very few pre-2000 British houses contain none of these.
What the ban did not do
It did not require removal. Asbestos already in a building is lawful to leave in place, and the regulations are built around managing it rather than stripping it out. That is why the duty to manage exists, and why a house from 1975 with a sound textured ceiling and an asbestos cement garage roof is entirely normal rather than a problem to solve immediately.
Questions people ask about what year was asbestos banned
Was asbestos banned in 1999 or 2000?
The prohibition regulations for white asbestos were made in 1999, and the practical date used for buildings is 2000, because materials in supply continued to be installed for a period.
Does a new build contain asbestos?
A building constructed after 2000 should not. Where an older building was extended or refurbished, the older parts remain in scope.
Do I have to remove it because it is banned?
No. The ban stopped new use. Material already in place is managed under the asbestos regulations, and removal is a decision taken on condition and on planned work.