What are the codes or standards for radon-resistant new construction?

For details on national radon standards, or standards that relate to new homes in your area, visit the websites of the three organizations listed below.

• AARST-NRPP
  • 
    ANSI-AARST Standard: Reducing Radon in New Construction of 1 & 2 Family Dwellings and Townhouses

ANSI/AARST has released "RRNC 2.0 Reducing Radon in New Construction of 1 & 2 Family Dwellings and Townhouses" to control for radon in the construction of new residential homes.  The standard, designated CCAH-2013, is written in code language.  Copies are available for $45 each for non-members, $30 each for AARST members from AARST-NRPP at http://www.aarst.org/bookstore.shtml

• ASTM
  • 
    Standard Practice for Radon Control Options for the Design and Construction of New Low-Rise Residential Buildings*

          This standard is to control for radon in new residential construction. Copies 

          of ASTM E1465-08a may be purchased at the ASTM Bookstore.

               *ASTM E1465-08a; January, 2009.

• IRC
  • International Residential Code for One and Two Family Dwellings, Appendix F - Radon Control Methods

          This document is only available online.  To view each section, click on the corresponding heading.

• AARST-NRPP

  • 
    Radon Mitigation Standards for Schools and Large Buildings (RMS-LB 2018)
    This new American National Standard addresses the complexities of properly mitigating radon in large and complicated building structures that require specialized techniques and quality assurance to address complicated building designs and specialized airflow.

    Copies of RMS-LB 2014 may be purchased from the Association of Radon Scientist and Technologists or from the American National Standards Institute.

• EPA

  • 
    Radon Prevention in the Design and Construction of Schools and Other Large Buildings.
    It is typically easier and much less expensive to design and construct a new building with radon-resistant and/or easy-to-mitigate features, than to add these features after the building is completed and occupied.

    Download a copy of the document from NSCEP | EPA 625-R-92-016, June 1994

• EPA

  • 
    Building Radon Out: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Build Radon-Resistant Homes.
    Describes why radon-resistant new construction should be used. Includes basic information about the health risks associated with radon exposure and how radon enters a home.

    Download a copy of the document from EPA | EPA 402-K-01-002, April 2001

You can also review the states and jurisdictions that require the use of these techniques at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Radon webpage (link is external).