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Minneapolis radon test kit, on one page
Reviewed for accuracy against EPA and Minnesota Department of Health guidance on September 22, 2026.
Test the home. Hennepin County is EPA Zone 1. Anoka County is Zone 2. MDH says Minnesota’s average radon level is more than three times the national level, and more than two in five homes are at a level the department calls a significant health risk. None of that is your unit’s result.
Use a short-term kit for 2 to 7 days on the lowest level you use, at least 20 inches off the floor, with the house closed. Heating season is the better time. Wait out a windstorm.
Follow MDH’s second test before you mitigate. A store-bought digital monitor is a trend diary, not the decision. At 4.0 pCi/L or higher on the approved follow-up, hire an MDH-licensed mitigator. Since 2009, new Minnesota homes include a passive vent, not a fan. Test them anyway.
Full guide: https://minneapolistadontestkit.com/
- 1
Check the kit, then pick the room
Read the instructions and the expiration date. Test the lowest level you regularly use. If you spend more than about 10 hours a week in the basement, test there. In a sale, test the lowest level of the home.
- 2
Set it at least 20 inches off the floor
Prefer breathing height. Keep the kit 1 foot from exterior walls, 3 feet from exterior windows, and away from drafts, kitchens, baths, laundry, fireplaces, and furnaces.
- 3
Close the house
Any test under three months needs closed-house conditions. Windows and exterior doors stay shut except for normal entry. Run heating and cooling as you normally do. The heating season is the better time for a short-term test.
- 4
Wait out severe weather
If the week is unusually windy or the weather is severe, do not start. MDH says weather changes indoor radon. There is no correction factor to apply afterward.
- 5
Run the short-term test for 2 to 7 days
Follow the device inside that window. Keep your start and stop notes. Mail the kit the way the lab requires, including any analysis fee the instructions mention.
- 6
Take the second test MDH asks for
A first result around 0 to 1.9 pCi/L means retest in 2 to 5 years. Around 2 to 7.9, follow with a long-term test. Around 8 or higher, follow with another short-term test. Mitigate at 4 or above on that follow-up. A consumer monitor does not replace it.
Guide: https://minneapolistadontestkit.com/