Radon is the top cause of lung cancer in people who don't smoke, and Iowa has the worst levels in the country. You can't see or smell it — but it's easy to test for and, when it's high, straightforward to fix.
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Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. It comes up out of the soil as uranium in the ground breaks down, seeps into homes through the foundation, and collects in the air you breathe — most heavily in basements and lower levels. You can't see it, smell it, or taste it. The only way to know what your home is holding is to test for it.
This matters more in Iowa than almost anywhere else. According to the American Lung Association and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, roughly 71% of Iowa homes test above the U.S. EPA's action level of 4.0 pCi/L — the highest share of any state — and Iowa's average indoor radon level is around 8.5 pCi/L, versus about 1.3 nationally. Every single county in Iowa is designated an EPA Zone 1 area, meaning the highest radon potential there is. This isn't a scare pitch; it's just the ground you live on.
The reason to take it seriously: the EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General identify radon as the leading cause of lung cancer among people who don't smoke, and the second leading cause overall, linked to an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. every year. The reassuring part, and the reason we're building this service: a home that tests high can almost always be brought down to a safe level with a properly installed system. It's one of the few serious home health risks that has a straightforward, permanent fix.
What we're building
Radon testing — knowing your real number
An honest measurement first — placed right, run long enough to trust, and explained in plain numbers.
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Everything starts with an honest measurement, because the level varies house to house even on the same street. When this service opens, testing is where we'll begin — placed correctly, run long enough to mean something, and explained to you in plain numbers instead of jargon.
- Short-term tests to get a fast read on where a home stands
- Longer-term testing for a truer year-round average, since radon swings with seasons and weather
- Correct device placement — lowest livable level, away from drafts, doors, and windows that skew a reading
- Testing at the right moments: before you buy, after you buy, and after any mitigation system goes in to confirm it worked
- Plain-English results — what your pCi/L number actually means and whether it calls for action
Active radon mitigation — the fix that actually works
A sealed pipe and a fan pull radon out from under the slab — most homes drop well under the limit.
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When a home tests high, the proven fix is an active sub-slab depressurization system. In plain terms: a sealed vent pipe and a continuously running in-line fan draw radon out from beneath the foundation and send it up and out above the roofline — before it ever reaches the air inside. Done right, it quietly drops most homes well under the action level and keeps them there.
- Active soil-depressurization systems — vent pipe plus a properly sized, continuously running fan
- Sealing of foundation cracks, sump pits, and slab penetrations that let radon in
- Clean routing and mounting, planned to be discreet and to hold up to Iowa weather
- A system monitor so you can see at a glance that it's working
- A confirmation test after install — we don't call it done until the numbers say it's done
New builds and existing homes — both covered
New construction or a decades-old house — radon is fixable either way.
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Radon doesn't care how old your house is, and neither will this service. What changes is the approach.
- New construction: as of July 1, 2026, Iowa law (HF82) requires a passive radon system in every new single-family home and duplex before it's sold, and installing it during the build is far cheaper than retrofitting later. There's a full section for builders just below.
- Existing homes: a house that's stood for decades can still be fixed. A retrofit active system is added to the finished home, routed cleanly through an existing slab, crawl space, or basement.
- Real-estate timing: radon comes up constantly in Iowa home sales. We're building this to help buyers and sellers get a home tested and, if needed, mitigated on a closing timeline.
For Iowa home builders — the new radon law
If you build single-family homes or duplexes in Iowa, radon is now a code item, not an option. Under Iowa House File 82, which took effect July 1, 2026, new single-family and two-family homes must have a passive radon-mitigation system installed during construction, before the home is sold — and a home without one can fail inspection. We're building this service to make that requirement a non-event for you, and to turn it into a selling point instead of a checkbox.
What the law actually requires — the short version
Iowa's HF82 (effective July 1, 2026): every new single-family home and duplex needs a passive radon system before it's sold.
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- A passive system: a sealed vent pipe and stack routed from under the slab up through the roof, using natural draft. The law itself doesn't require a fan.
- It applies to new single-family homes and duplexes built under the new requirement — not existing homes.
- The system must be in place before the home is sold, and it's enforced through the building code at inspection.
- Installed during the build, a passive system typically runs a few hundred dollars — versus up to around $3,000 to retrofit the same thing into a finished house. In the build is the cheap way, by a wide margin.
- That's our plain-English reading, not legal advice — the code and your local inspector are the final word, and we'll build to what they require.
How we'll help builders — beyond the checkbox
Code-compliant passive installs during the build, fast professional testing, and a fan upgrade when the number's high.
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Meeting code is the floor. What actually protects the buyer — and protects you from a callback after they test — is knowing the finished home's real number and being ready to act on it. Here's the full package we're setting up for builders.
- Code-compliant passive systems, installed in the build. We rough in the passive stack during construction so the home passes inspection and is ready to sell — done cleanly and to code.
- Fast, professional testing — results in days, not weeks. Test a home yourself with a mail-in kit and you wait weeks for a lab to send numbers back — time a finished spec home doesn't have. We run a professional continuous radon monitor on-site and hand you defensible results as soon as the short-term test wraps (a minimum of about 48 hours), so a high reading doesn't blindside a closing.
- A fan upgrade when the number calls for it. Iowa's radon is high enough that a passive system alone doesn't always get a home under the 4.0 pCi/L action level. When the test says so, we add the fan that turns the passive stack into a full active system — so you hand over a home that's genuinely safe, not just code-compliant.
- Documentation for your file and your buyer. Clear test results and system details you can pass to the buyer, so the radon question is answered before they ever ask it.
- Built around your schedule. A test or a system sitting in the critical path can stall a closing. The whole point of this service is to keep your build and your sale moving.
How it will work
- Test and get your numberWe place a test correctly and run it long enough to trust the result, then walk you through what your level actually means — no fear pitch, no upsell if your home is already fine.
- Plan the fix, if you need oneIf your home is above the action level, we map the right system for your foundation — basement, slab, or crawl space — and give you a clear, upfront scope before anything starts.
- Install it cleanWe install the vent pipe, fan, and seals with tidy routing that respects your house, and set up a monitor so the system's status is always visible.
- Re-test to prove it workedAfter the system runs, we test again and confirm the level has dropped where it should. The job isn't finished until the numbers say so.
Frequently asked
When can I actually book radon service?
Not yet — and we'd rather be straight about that than take a job we're not fully set up for. Radon testing and mitigation should be done by trained, certified people working to recognized standards, so we're getting properly set up before we book anything. Join the waitlist and you'll be among the first we call when bookings open. No obligation, no deposit.
Do you work with home builders on the new Iowa radon law?
That's a big part of why we're building this service. As of July 1, 2026, Iowa's HF82 requires a passive radon system in every new single-family home and duplex before it's sold. We're setting up to install those code-compliant passive systems during the build (far cheaper than a retrofit), test the finished home with a professional monitor for fast, defensible results instead of a multi-week mail-in wait, and add an active fan if the number comes back high. Builders on the waitlist will be first to know when we open. This is our plain-English summary, not legal advice — your local inspector and the code are the final word.
Why is radon such a big deal in Iowa specifically?
Iowa has the highest radon levels in the country. Per the American Lung Association and Iowa HHS, roughly 71% of Iowa homes test above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level — the worst share of any state — and the state's average indoor level is about 8.5 pCi/L compared with roughly 1.3 nationally. Every county in Iowa is an EPA Zone 1 (highest-potential) area. It's simply the geology we're built on, which is why testing here isn't optional-feeling the way it is elsewhere.
How dangerous is radon, really?
The EPA and U.S. Surgeon General call radon the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause overall, tied to an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths a year in the U.S. The risk builds from long-term exposure, not a single bad day — which is exactly why a permanent fix matters. And it is fixable, which is the whole point of this service.
How is a home tested?
With a radon test placed on the lowest level you actually live in, kept away from drafts, and left to run — a short-term test for a quick read, or a longer test for a truer seasonal average. The result comes back as a pCi/L number, and we'll tell you plainly whether it's in a range that calls for a mitigation system.
How does a mitigation system work, and is it loud or ugly?
It's an active sub-slab depressurization system: a sealed pipe and a quiet, continuously running fan that pull radon from under your foundation and vent it above the roof before it gets inside. Planned and routed well, it runs quietly in the background and stays as discreet as the house allows. A monitor lets you confirm at a glance that it's doing its job.
My house is old — can it still be fixed?
Yes. Age isn't the obstacle — a decades-old home can be brought down below the action level with a retrofit system routed through the existing basement, slab, or crawl space. New builds are cheaper to protect because the groundwork goes in before the concrete, but existing homes are the bread and butter of radon mitigation.
Will you be qualified to do this?
Yes — and doing it right is exactly why the service isn't live yet. Radon testing and mitigation are meant to be performed to recognized national standards (the kind AARST and the NRPP set) by people trained and certified for the work. We're getting set up to meet that bar before we book a single job, rather than winging a health-and-safety service. When we open the waitlist, it'll be done by the book.