GUIDE · FOR UK SOLAR INSTALLERS · 9 MIN READ

Solar Panels on an Asbestos Roof: What Installers Must Check

Buildings HSE says to assume contain asbestos

Pre-2000

Buildings HSE says to assume contain asbestos

HSE: asbestos cement roofs always are

Fragile

HSE: asbestos cement roofs always are

Upper limit of MCS's MIS 3002 standard

50kWp

Upper limit of MCS's MIS 3002 standard

Roof load increase Approved Document A treats as significant

15%

Roof load increase Approved Document A treats as significant

Older factories, farm buildings and warehouses are some of the biggest roofs a commercial installer will be asked to look at. They are also where asbestos cement sheeting and tired structures turn a straightforward proposal into a project of its own. This guide sets out what HSE, the regulations and MCS say, so you can decide early whether a site is worth the work.

General information from HSE, legislation.gov.uk, MCS and the Building Regulations, checked 20 October 2026. It isn't legal or health and safety advice for a particular site: use a competent asbestos surveyor and structural engineer.

What it looks like on a real site

Stephen James runs Luz Solar, a commercial installer that has developed solar since 2010. In his video review of TNW Marketing, the team behind Solar Surveys UK, he described one of the sites his team was working on in Birmingham:

"For example, one of the sites that we've got on the go at the moment required an asbestos survey, it required a structural survey"

He explained that the surveys take time and effort before you can install, that the work around building regulations, asbestos and over-cladding quotes can take months, and that it was the kind of roof his team would probably not take on again. The business owner was keen, so the job kept moving. His point for other installers is simple: know what the roof is before you commit the time. Watch the Luz Solar review.

Assume asbestos on pre-2000 buildings

HSE's guidance is that any building built or refurbished before the year 2000 may contain asbestos, and that you should assume it does unless there is strong evidence otherwise. Asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999. Asbestos cement roof sheets and cladding are one of the places HSE lists it being found in buildings.

The asbestos register and the right survey

Under regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, the person responsible for maintaining or repairing a non-domestic building (the dutyholder) has a duty to manage asbestos in it. That includes giving information about where it is and what condition it's in to anyone liable to disturb it. HSE says to tell workers about the register and site plan before they start any work on the fabric of the building. As the installer, ask for it.

HSE describes two kinds of survey. A management survey finds asbestos that could be disturbed in normal use and maintenance. A refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before refurbishment or structural work, for the parts of the building that will be disturbed. A rooftop install that drills, fixes or strengthens falls on the second side of that line, so a management survey on file may not be enough.

Do you need a licence?

HSE says work on asbestos cement is generally non-licensed work and doesn't need to be notified. It becomes notifiable non-licensed work if the material is substantially damaged or broken up. The requirements for training, controls and protective equipment apply either way.

The roof is fragile

HSE's guidance is blunt: asbestos cement roofs are always fragile and cannot bear weight. More widely, HSE says to treat every roof as fragile until it has been confirmed otherwise, and that falls through fragile surfaces account for 22% of fall-from-height deaths in construction. Regulation 9 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 sets out what must be done where people work on or near fragile surfaces. On a survey visit, nobody should be walking the sheets.

Drilling or over-cladding

If the fixings go through the asbestos cement, HSE task sheet a9 sets out the controls: keep people out of the area below, drill at the lowest speed, use masking tape with paste or foam or a drill cowl to catch the dust, use a Class H vacuum, seal the edge of the hole, and wear suitable respiratory protection.

The alternative many installers price is over-cladding: new sheets over the old. HSE's task sheet on over-sheeting an asbestos cement roof has the new sheets attached to the existing purlins, avoiding drilling the old sheets. It is a separate quote and a separate trade, which is why these jobs take longer to reach a decision.

Will the roof take it?

MCS's installation standard for solar PV, MIS 3002, covers systems up to 50kWp. It expects the roof structure to be checked by a competent person, with a qualified structural engineer brought in if there is any doubt, including for wind uplift and the ballast on a flat roof. Larger commercial systems fall outside MIS 3002, but the same structural question applies.

Approved Document A treats an increase in roof load of more than 15% as significant and something that should be checked. Strengthening the roof structure is a material alteration under the Building Regulations. Both points are why older roofs often need a structural survey before a proposal can be firmed up.

Planning

Most commercial rooftop solar can be installed under permitted development: Class J of Part 14 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015. It has conditions, including how far panels can stand off the roof (0.2m on a pitched roof), and on a flat roof no more than 1m above the highest part of the roof and at least 1m from its edge. It does not cover listed buildings, and some installations need prior approval from the council, which has 56 days to decide. The old 1MW limit was removed from 21 December 2023.

Before you book the survey

Most of the time lost on these sites is lost before anyone knows what the roof is. Ask at the booking stage:

1. 1Ask for the asbestos register. Before any work on the roof, the person who manages the building should show you where asbestos is and what condition it is in. No register on a pre-2000 building is a warning sign, not a green light.
2. 2Get the right survey. A management survey is for living with the building as it is. Before refurbishment or structural work, HSE guidance calls for a refurbishment and demolition survey of the parts you will disturb.
3. 3Treat the roof as fragile. HSE says asbestos cement roofs are always fragile and cannot bear weight. Plan the access, edge protection and coverings before anyone goes up.
4. 4Check the structure. Older roofs may not take the extra weight, wind load or ballast. MCS expects the roof structure to be checked by a competent person, and a structural engineer if there's any doubt.
5. 5Decide the fixing method. Drilling asbestos cement needs specific controls. Over-cladding with new sheets fixed to the existing purlins avoids drilling the old sheets, and changes the cost and the timeline.
6. 6Check planning. Most commercial rooftop solar can go ahead under permitted development (Class J), within limits. Listed buildings are outside it.

If you take booked surveys from us and don't want older asbestos roofs, tell us, and we note it against your account. See also the commercial solar survey checklist.

Solar panels on asbestos roofs: FAQ