Real Estate Guide • Iowa
The Iowa Radon Home Buyers and Sellers Fact Sheet, Explained.
Every Iowa home sale comes with a two-page radon fact sheet from Iowa HHS. Here is what it says, when it has to change hands, and what it does not require of you.
Book a Real Estate Radon TestWhat the Fact Sheet Is
The Iowa Radon Home Buyers and Sellers Fact Sheet is a two-page document published by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS, formerly the Iowa Department of Public Health). The current version is dated February 2020. You can download the official fact sheet directly from Iowa HHS.
It exists because of Iowa's real estate disclosure rules. Under Iowa Code sections 543B.9 and 543B.18 and Iowa Administrative Code 193E chapter 14, a seller must disclose any known radon test, including the date of the last report and its results. On the disclosure statement, the seller acknowledges giving the buyer the fact sheet, and the buyer acknowledges receiving it.
The fact sheet travels with the Iowa Code chapter 558A seller disclosure statement, either attached to it or provided separately, and is due before an offer is made or accepted. If you are buying or selling a house in Iowa, you will see it. This guide explains what is actually on those two pages.
At a Glance
- Who publishes itIowa HHS radon program (formerly IDPH).
- Who provides itThe seller, with the 558A disclosure statement, before an offer is made or accepted.
- What it coversWhat radon is, where it is found in Iowa, how it enters a home, health effects, and how to test and fix it.
- What it requiresNothing beyond acknowledgment. It does not mandate a test, a deadline, or mitigation.
- QuestionsIowa Radon Hotline, 1-800-383-5992.
What the Fact Sheet Says
The four things Iowa HHS wants every buyer and seller to understand.
Where radon comes from.
Radon is produced by the radioactive decay of uranium and radium in the soil. The sheet notes that, long ago, glacial activity left "ground-up deposits" of minerals such as uranium across Iowa's upper crust. Because radon is a gas, it seeps into buildings, including homes. It is odorless, invisible, and radioactive.
How high Iowa's levels are.
EPA has identified all counties in Iowa as Zone 1, the highest-risk classification. The total average indoor radon level in Iowa is 8.5 pCi/L, versus 1.3 pCi/L nationally. A level of 4 pCi/L is considered elevated and remediation is recommended. IDPH estimates that as many as 5 in 7 Iowa homes (over 50 to 70 percent) have elevated radon.
Why you cannot guess from the neighbors.
The sheet is explicit: radon "can vary considerably from house to house, even on the same street." A high and a low reading can sit in homes directly next to each other. It is found in new and old homes, with and without basements. Warm air rising creates a small vacuum in the lower levels, and soil gas follows it in through foundation cracks, hollow-block walls, floor drains, sump openings, pipe penetrations, and crawl spaces.
Why it matters, and what to do.
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers and the second leading cause overall, responsible for about 21,000 deaths a year in the U.S. and, by EPA's estimate, roughly 400 a year in Iowa. IDPH, EPA, the American Lung Association, and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes before they are sold or transferred. Buyers can hire an Iowa-certified measurement specialist, and credentialed mitigation contractors install systems that usually bring a home well below 4 pCi/L.
What It Does Not Require
This is the part most people get wrong. The fact sheet is informational, and Iowa's radon law is a disclosure law, not a testing law. Receiving the sheet obligates you to nothing beyond acknowledging it.
A seller who knows of a prior test must disclose the date and results. A seller who has never tested has nothing to disclose. No Iowa statute requires a radon test before a home is listed, sold, or closed, and none sets a deadline or requires mitigation at any level. The same is true of Iowa's newer construction law, which we cover in our guide to HF 2297: it applies to how new homes are built, not to existing-home sales.
Because nothing forces a test, the practical responsibility usually lands on the buyer. For a broader look at who in Iowa actually has to test, see our guide to Iowa radon testing requirements.
Three things it does not do
- No testIt does not require a radon test for the transaction. It recommends one.
- No deadlineIt sets no timeline for testing or for acting on a result.
- No mitigationIt does not require a system to be installed, even above 4 pCi/L. That is a negotiation between buyer and seller.
What Buyers Should Do
Ask for a radon test during your inspection period. Write it into the offer alongside the home inspection. The fact sheet recommends hiring an Iowa-certified measurement specialist, and for a transaction that means a 48 to 72 hour continuous radon monitor test with a tamper-resistant device and an hourly report, not a mail-in charcoal kit. Our radon testing service is built for this window, with results the same day the monitor is picked up.
If the result is 4.0 pCi/L or higher, negotiate. Elevated radon is common in Iowa and it is fixable. Most buyers ask the seller to have a credentialed contractor install mitigation before closing, or to credit the cost, and then confirm the result with a post-mitigation clearance test. Learn how a system works and what our guarantee covers on our page about radon mitigation in Des Moines.
If the seller already tested, read the disclosed date and result carefully. Radon levels change with seasons and with changes to the house, and the fact sheet notes results from the past five years can be shared with a buyer. An older or borderline result is a reason to test again, not a reason to skip it.
What Sellers Should Do
Test before you list. A buyer's test that comes back high in the middle of a contract costs you leverage and time. Testing first lets you fix the problem on your own schedule and disclose a clean, recent result.
A mitigated home is a selling point. In a state where 5 in 7 homes test elevated, a disclosure that reads "mitigation system installed, clearance test below 4 pCi/L" answers the buyer's question before it is asked. Keep the installer's paperwork and the clearance report with your disclosure packet.
Disclose what you know. If the home has ever been tested, the date and result belong on the 558A statement along with any mitigation work. If it has never been tested, say so. Our home buyers and sellers page walks through the transaction timeline.
For real estate agents
Agents hand this fact sheet over more than anyone. If your clients ask what it means, send them this page, and see how we work with agents on scheduling, eKey access, and disclosure-ready reports on our real estate agents page.
Fact Sheet Questions
Is the Iowa Radon Home Buyers and Sellers Fact Sheet required in every home sale?
It is part of the seller disclosure process for residential property. Under Iowa Code 543B.9 and 543B.18 and Iowa Administrative Code 193E chapter 14, the seller acknowledges giving the buyer the fact sheet and the buyer acknowledges receiving it on the disclosure statement. It travels with the Iowa Code chapter 558A seller disclosure, either attached to it or provided separately, and is due before an offer is made or accepted.
Does Iowa require a radon test when a home is sold?
No. Iowa’s law is disclosure-only. A seller who knows of a prior radon test must disclose the date and results, and must hand over the fact sheet, but no Iowa law requires a test for the sale itself. The fact sheet recommends testing before a home is sold or transferred, and in practice the buyer usually arranges it during the inspection period.
What does the fact sheet say about radon levels in Iowa?
It states that every Iowa county is in EPA Zone 1, that the total average indoor radon level in Iowa is 8.5 pCi/L compared with 1.3 pCi/L nationally, that 4 pCi/L is considered elevated with remediation recommended, and that the Iowa Department of Public Health estimates as many as 5 in 7 Iowa homes have elevated radon.
What should a buyer do if the test comes back at 4.0 pCi/L or higher?
Treat it like any other inspection finding. Elevated radon is common in Iowa and is a solved problem: a credentialed mitigation contractor installs a system that usually brings the home well below 4 pCi/L. Buyers typically negotiate for the seller to install mitigation before closing or to credit the cost, and then confirm the result with a post-mitigation clearance test.
Where can I get the official fact sheet?
The current version is a two-page Iowa HHS document dated February 2020, available as a free PDF from the Iowa HHS radon program. Your agent or the seller should also provide it with the disclosure statement. The Iowa Radon Hotline at 1-800-383-5992 can mail a radon information packet.
Sources
- Iowa HHS, Iowa Radon Home Buyers and Sellers Fact Sheet, February 2020.
- Iowa HHS radon program, disclosure guidance citing Iowa Code 543B.9 and 543B.18 and Iowa Administrative Code 193E chapter 14.
- Iowa Code chapter 558A, residential real estate disclosure.
The fact sheet tells you to test. We make it easy.
Certified 48 to 72 hour monitor testing, scheduled around your inspection deadline, with a disclosure-ready report the same day.