How do we test for radon in our HOA clubhouse?

By OurHOA · General information · Revised October 28, 2026

How an HOA board tests a clubhouse for radon: EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, short and long tests, detector placement, follow-up tests, mitigation bids and records.

Part of the HOA board handbook: vendors, projects and upkeep.

The short answer

Use short-term radon tests that run 2 to 5 days. Put one in every frequently used room that sits on the slab or in a basement. Keep the building closed for 12 hours before the test and during it, then read the lab results against EPA's action level of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). Any room at 4 or higher gets a follow-up test before the board spends money on a fix. If the follow-up confirms the problem, hire a certified or licensed mitigator, then test again after the system is running. EPA's detailed testing protocol for nonresidential buildings is its guide for schools, and a clubhouse behaves much like a small school: a slab building used mostly by day, with an HVAC system that cycles. This guide follows that protocol. Rules vary by state and by your governing documents, and this is general education, not legal advice.

What Texas, Florida and Colorado require

Florida. Section 404.056(4), Florida Statutes, requires radon testing in K-12 school buildings, state-licensed 24-hour care facilities and state-licensed day care centers in counties the state rates as intermediate or elevated radon potential. The first round covers 20 percent of the habitable first-floor spaces within a year of opening or licensing, and a follow-up covers 5 percent after five years of occupancy. An ordinary clubhouse is not on that list. If your association leases clubhouse space to a licensed day care or preschool, ask the operator whether the building has been tested and reported. The Florida Department of Health says all radon mitigation in Florida must be done by state-certified professionals, while owners testing their own property are exempt from certification. Colorado. HB21-1195 made radon testing and mitigation a licensed profession, and since July 1, 2022 radon professionals need a license from the Division of Professions and Occupations. Anyone the association pays to test or mitigate should show a Colorado license. Texas. The Department of State Health Services no longer runs the state radon program, which Texas Tech University now manages, and Texas Tech states that Texas has no radon certification requirements at this time. Ask Texas vendors for national certification through NRPP or NRSB, the two proficiency programs EPA recognizes.

Set up the first round of tests

Order lab-analyzed short-term test devices, either from your state program, a certified lab or a professional you hire. Florida's Department of Health tells regulated facilities that staff may place the tests if they use NRPP or NRSB approved devices, and that plug-in consumer monitors do not count. That is a good rule for any board that wants results it can rely on. Next, walk the building with a floor plan and mark every frequently occupied room in contact with the ground: the main hall, the fitness room, the office, the card room. EPA's schools guide says to test them all at the same time, and to use one detector for about every 2,000 square feet in a large open room. Skip closets, restrooms, kitchens and mechanical rooms. Place each device at least 20 inches above the floor, 4 inches from other objects and away from exterior walls. Keep it clear of HVAC vents, ceiling fans, doors and windows. Run the HVAC as you normally would. Keep exterior doors and windows shut for at least 12 hours before a 2 to 5 day test begins, except for normal coming and going. EPA recommends testing in the colder months, when buildings stay closed anyway. Tape a sign to each device saying it is a radon test and must not be moved.

Read the results and decide on follow-up

Below 2 pCi/L, record the result and plan to retest after any renovation or HVAC change, which EPA's schools guide says can change radon levels. Between 2 and 4, EPA's health risk guidance says to consider fixing. That is a judgment call for the board. Retesting the room the next winter before deciding is a cheap way to make it. At 4 or above, do not act on one reading. The schools guide calls for a follow-up test in every room that measured 4 or higher. If the first result was about 10 pCi/L or more, run a short-term follow-up right away. If it was between 4 and 10, a long-term follow-up is better, and a long-term test is one that stays in place for more than 90 days. Fix the room if the average of the first test and a short-term follow-up is 4 or more, or if a long-term follow-up reads 4 or more. A single high reading from a lobby device that sat next to a closed door over a holiday weekend is a reason to retest, not a reason to sign a contract.

Hire a mitigator and test again

EPA's Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction calls subslab depressurization the most common and usually the most reliable fix. A contractor cores through the slab, runs a pipe to the roof line and adds a fan that pulls soil gas out from under the building. EPA's schools guide says this kind of active system will probably be needed in rooms above 10 pCi/L. Treat the job like any other repair. Get more than one estimate, ask each bidder for references and call them, require proof of the license or certification your state calls for, and sign a written contract before work starts. Our guide on how to write an HOA request for proposal covers the bid packet. The pipe and fan change the outside of a common building, so vote on the location before installation. After the system has run at least 24 hours, and within 30 days of installation, test the treated rooms again. EPA recommends that this test be done independently of the mitigator. Then put a retest on the calendar at least every two years, which is EPA's advice for a building with a working system. If the board later replaces the clubhouse air handler, retest after the change. Our guide on replacing an HOA clubhouse HVAC system covers planning that project.

A sample timeline

Board meeting, month 1: approve the testing budget and name one director to run it. Sample motion: 'Move to spend up to $____ from the operating budget to test the clubhouse for radon using lab-analyzed short-term devices, with [director] to place and collect the devices and report results at the next board meeting.' Week 1 of the test month: close the building on a Sunday evening, place devices Monday morning, collect them Thursday morning and mail them to the lab the same day. Week 3: results arrive, and the director posts them by room. Week 4: start short-term or long-term follow-ups in any room at 4 pCi/L or higher. Within 60 days of a confirmed high result: collect two or more mitigation bids and vote. Within 30 days of installation: run the post-mitigation test. Every two years after that: retest each treated room, plus every room after any HVAC or slab work.

Wording for the owner notice

Owners hear 'radon' and assume the worst, so give them the numbers. A notice the board can adapt: 'The board tested the clubhouse for radon from [dates] using lab-analyzed devices in [number] ground-floor rooms. EPA recommends fixing a building at 4 picocuries per liter or higher. Results: main hall [x], fitness room [x], office [x]. [All rooms were below 4 and no action is needed. / The fitness room measured [x], so we have started a follow-up test and will report the result at the [date] board meeting.] The full lab report is available from the board on request.' If a follow-up confirms a high level, send a second notice when the board approves a mitigation contract, with the expected install date and the date of the retest.

Records to keep and mistakes to avoid

Keep one file with the floor plan showing where each device sat, the device serial numbers, start and stop times, the lab reports, any follow-up tests, the mitigation bids and contract, the contractor's license or certification, the post-mitigation result and the next retest date. Hand it to each new board. Common mistakes: testing in July with the doors propped open, putting one device in the lobby and calling the building tested, spending money on a single short-term reading, letting the mitigator run the only post-mitigation test, using a consumer monitor as the official result, and forgetting to retest after a remodel or new HVAC system. An owner who plans to fix radon in their own home has a separate question, covered in our guide on whether an HOA can restrict a radon mitigation system.

Sources

These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.

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