Radon Mitigation in the Twin Cities Metro
The Twin Cities metro holds more than half of Minnesota's housing, and radon treats all of it the same way. Hennepin and Ramsey counties are both rated Zone 1 on the EPA Map of Radon Zones, the category with the highest predicted indoor levels, and the Minnesota Department of Health reports that 2 in 5 homes tested statewide pose a significant health risk.
From a 1910 Minneapolis bungalow to a 2020 exurban build with a passive pipe already in the attic, the fix is the same trade: an independent contractor licensed by MDH, a free written quote, and a verified result. We connect metro homeowners with those contractors in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, and the surrounding suburbs.
The Metro Radon Picture
Both core metro counties carry the EPA's highest radon potential rating, and MDH has gone a step further than mapping potential: a 2020 MDH analysis of metro-area data found that mitigation rates vary sharply by neighborhood income, home value, and housing type, meaning many high-radon metro homes remain unmitigated. Testing is cheap in the metro, with several county and city health agencies selling discounted kits, so the gap is awareness, not access.
Source: MDH metro mitigation analysisGeology Under the Metro
The metro sits on a thick blanket of glacial deposits, the till and outwash left by the ice sheets that shaped Minnesota, resting over sedimentary bedrock. MDH attributes Minnesota's radon problem to the uranium that decays naturally in these rocks and soils, and to a heating season that pulls soil gas indoors for months at a time. That combination does not respect city limits, which is why readings vary more house to house than suburb to suburb.
Source: Minnesota Geological Survey, glacial geologyMetro Housing Stock, Pre-War to Post-2009
The metro spans every foundation era Minnesota has: stone and limestone basements in the pre-war cores, concrete block under the postwar ramblers, poured walls in the later suburbs, and passive radon rough-ins in everything permitted after June 1, 2009 under Minnesota Rules 1303.2400. Licensed contractors work across all of them daily; the era mostly changes where the suction point goes and how the pipe routes, not whether the system works.
Source: Minnesota Rules 1303.2400Twin Cities Metro Cities We Cover
Start with the service you need, Radon Mitigation or Real Estate Radon , or go deeper with the guide: Radon Mitigation Cost in Minnesota .
Verify Your Contractor's Minnesota Radon License
Before you hire anyone for radon work in Twin Cities Metro, check their license. The Minnesota Radon Licensing Act, Minnesota Statutes section 144.4961, requires anyone who performs radon testing, mitigation, or laboratory analysis for compensation to be licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health, and every mitigation system installed under the law must carry an MDH system tag. A licensed professional expects the question. Three things to ask before you sign:
- Can I see your current MDH radon license, and is the company licensed too?
- Will the installed system carry the MDH system tag required under the licensing law?
- Will I get a written, itemized estimate and a follow-up radon test that confirms the system works?
Twin Cities Metro Radon Questions
Is radon really a problem in the Twin Cities metro?
Yes. Hennepin and Ramsey counties are rated Zone 1, the EPA's highest radon potential category, and the Minnesota Department of Health reports 2 in 5 tested homes statewide pose a significant health risk. Metro homes are not exempt; MDH data shows plenty of high results across the core cities and suburbs alike.
Which Twin Cities homes are most likely to go unmitigated?
A 2020 MDH analysis found metro mitigation rates track neighborhood income and home values: lower-value and rental housing is less likely to be tested and fixed even where radon potential is identical. If you rent or bought an entry-level home, testing is the step most often skipped.
Do metro condos and apartments need radon testing?
Ground-contact units matter most. Radon enters from the soil, so basement and ground-floor units carry the exposure risk, while upper floors typically test lower. MDH recommends testing the lowest lived-in level; in multifamily buildings, testing and mitigation are jobs for licensed professionals working with the association or owner.
Get a Free Radon Mitigation Quote
Tell us about your home and get a free, no-obligation quote from an independent radon mitigation contractor licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health.
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