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Want a nudge when it’s time? Get radon reminders by email: a note each fall when heating-season testing starts and, if you tell us your step, a few short emails for it. Optional.
1 Test your home
- Order a long-term radon test kit from the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory: $251 at vdh.webapps.aidcvt.com/water_supplies/radon, or call 802-338-4736 or 800-660-9997 (toll-free in Vermont).2
- Leave it in place for 3 to 12 months, ideally including a heating season.2
- Place it in the lowest level of the home that is or could be used regularly, at least 20 inches above the floor, away from drafts, high heat, high humidity and exterior walls. Not in a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, closet or crawl space.3
- Need an answer sooner, such as for a home sale? The Health Department says to use two short-term kits placed side by side.4
Test started: Test ended: Sent to the lab:
2 Read your result
My result: pCi/L
| Your result | What the Health Department says to do |
|---|---|
| 4.0 pCi/L or higher | Contact a certified radon mitigation contractor.5 |
| 2.0 to 4.0 pCi/L | Consider mitigation.5 |
| Below 2.0 pCi/L | Retest in five years.5 |
Radon in air is measured in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L).6 A result in Bq/m³? Divide by 37 to get pCi/L.7
3 Fix it if you need to
- Find a certified radon mitigation contractor in the NRPP directory (nrpp.info/pro-search) or the NRSB directory (www.nrsb.org/find-a-pro), as the Health Department advises.2
- The most common system, active soil depressurization, is estimated at $1,500 to $2,500 to install in Vermont.5
- Help paying: NeighborWorks organizations offer low-cost loans and grants for home repairs, including radon mitigation, to owner-occupants with household income below 80% of area median income.8
Contractor: System installed:
4 Retest
- After a system is installed, test again to make sure levels are below 4.0 pCi/L, then every two years to make sure it’s still working.2
- If your levels were low, retest every five years, or whenever you make significant changes to your home’s structure or mechanical systems.2
Next test due:
On a private well or spring?
Radon in water can add to the radon in your air.9 The Health Department Lab sells a radon in water kit for $25.1 Its advisory level for radon in water is 4,000 pCi/L.9
Questions?
Vermont Radon Program: 802-863-7220 or 800-439-8550 (toll-free in Vermont), radon@vermont.gov.2
Sources: Vermont Department of Health and U.S. EPA (plus Health Canada for the unit conversion), each linked on https://vermontradon.com/radon-plan/. Vermont Radon is an independent guide, not run by or affiliated with the Vermont Department of Health or the EPA. It shares official guidance only and is not medical advice. For health questions, talk with a health care provider.
Last reviewed How we source facts
Sources
9 official sources
- Vermont Department of Health Laboratory. Radon Test Kits (Health Department Lab webstore). Checked 2026-10-17. ↩
- Vermont Department of Health. Radon in Your Home. Checked 2026-10-17. ↩
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon (EPA 402/K-24/001, March 2024). Checked 2026-10-17. ↩
- Vermont Department of Health. Testing for Radon in Your Home (fact sheet, July 2025). Checked 2026-10-17. ↩
- Vermont Department of Health. Fixing Radon in Your Home (fact sheet, January 2024). Checked 2026-10-17. ↩
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A Citizen’s Guide to Radon (EPA 402/K-12/002, 2025). Checked 2026-10-17. ↩
- Health Canada. Guide for radon measurements in homes. Checked 2026-10-17. ↩
- Vermont Department of Health. Financial Assistance (Healthy Homes). Checked 2026-10-17. ↩
- Vermont Department of Health. Radon in Drinking Water. Checked 2026-10-17. ↩