Radon Testing
Radon testing in Oregon falls outside the home inspection by rule, Oregon issues no measurement licence, and OHA publishes risk for every ZIP code.
Radon testing is a separate engagement in Oregon because inspectors are not required to determine environmental hazards under OAR 812-008-0204. Oregon does not licence measurement technicians. OHA publishes test results by ZIP and prices its own kits at 10 to 30 dollars.
The rule, and the licence that does not exist
OAR 812-008-0204 excuses certified inspectors from determining environmental hazards. Radon is the clearest case, which is why the test is sold separately.
Oregon does not licence radon measurement the way some states do. The recognised credentials are national, NRPP or NRSB, and a home inspector offering the test should hold one.
Where Oregon radon actually is
OHA publishes results by ZIP from a 2024 dataset. Twenty-one ZIP codes rate High and 110 rate Moderate where 20 or more addresses were tested.
Portland ZIP 97213 averaged 5.16 picocuries per litre across 2,579 tests, with 49.9 percent at or above 4.0. The city pages on this site carry the local ZIP figures.
What the published prices are, and are not
OHA prices its own kits: 10 to 25 dollars for a short-term kit and 15 to 30 dollars for a long-term detector. Those are device costs.
No Oregon agency publishes a price for a professional test. Any figure for a technician visit comes from the market, not from a fee schedule.
Asked and answered
Radon is a gas from uranium decay in soil and rock that enters through the foundation. The amount depends on local geology more than on the house. That is why OHA maps Oregon risk by ZIP code: 21 ZIPs rate High in the 2024 dataset. Two neighbouring houses can test differently, so the ZIP rating is a prior, not a result.
Houses on high-radon ground, which in Oregon means specific ZIP codes rather than specific house types. OHA data shows Milton-Freewater ZIP 97862 averaging 12 picocuries per litre and Portland ZIP 97213 with 49.9 percent of 2,579 tests at or above 4.0. Check the ZIP on the city page, then test the house itself.
Yes. A short-term test runs with the house in normal use and closed-house conditions, meaning windows shut and doors used normally. OHA describes short-term kits and long-term detectors as the two device types. The result is a measurement of the air you breathe at home, so living there during the test is the point.
Yes, and OHA publishes the device prices: 10 to 25 dollars for a short-term kit, 15 to 30 dollars for a long-term detector. Oregon issues no radon measurement licence, so there is no legal bar. In a transaction, a buyer often wants a professional with NRPP or NRSB certification because the home inspection excludes environmental hazards by rule.
Questions are taken verbatim from live Google People Also Ask results for this inspection type. Answers rest on Oregon rule text and the records cited above.