Free radon test kits in Tennessee, and how to use one right
The state mails radon test kits to Tennessee residents at no cost, return postage included. Getting one takes two minutes. Getting a number you can trust takes knowing where to put it, how long to leave it, and what the result actually means.
Tennessee residents can get a free radon test kit from the Tennessee Radon Program, run by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). Request one online through the state’s free test kit form, by calling 1-800-232-1139, or by emailing TDEC.Radon@tn.gov. The program sends out about 6,000 kits a year, and the kit comes with prepaid return postage. To get an accurate result, place it in the lowest lived-in level of your home, away from the kitchen and bathrooms, keep windows and outside doors closed, run the test for three to five days only, record the start and end times, and mail it back the day the test ends. The EPA recommends fixing a home that tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L and considering a fix between 2 and 4. A free kit is the right first test for a homeowner; if you’re buying or selling a house, the deal needs a certified 48-hour test instead.
Three ways to ask. All of them free.
The kit comes from the Tennessee Radon Program, not from us, and nobody will try to sell you anything when you request one.
The fastest route. Fill in the state’s free test kit request form and the kit arrives by mail.
Call the Tennessee Radon Program hotline at 1-800-232-1139.
Write to TDEC.Radon@tn.gov with your mailing address.
Before your kit arrives, see what tests in your area have already found. Look up your zip code in the state’s test data. A high zip average doesn’t mean your house is high, but it’s a good reason not to let the kit sit in a drawer.
A free kit is only as good as where you put it.
Most bad home radon results come from the setup, not the kit. Follow these and your number means something.
| Step | Do this | Because |
|---|---|---|
| WHERE | The lowest level of the house that people actually live in, such as a first-floor bedroom or den | Radon enters from the ground, so the lowest lived-in floor gives the reading that matters for your lungs |
| NOT THERE | Skip the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, and the crawl space itself | Humidity and drafts skew the result, and nobody breathes crawl space air directly |
| HOW HIGH | About 20 inches off the floor, away from exterior walls, vents, and heat | Drafts and airflow dilute the sample and read low |
| THE HOUSE | Windows and outside doors closed for 12 hours before and during the test, aside from normal coming and going | An aired-out house reads lower than the one you live in |
| HOW LONG | Three to five days only, with the start and end times written down | The lab calculates your level from the exposure time, so a guessed time is a guessed result |
| SEND IT | Seal it and mail it back the day the test ends. Postage is prepaid | A kit that sits before mailing can give an inaccurate reading |
What your result is telling you to do.
Results come back in picocuries per liter (pCi/L). The EPA’s action level is 4.0, and here’s what each range means for your next step.
Under 2.0
Low. File the result and retest in two years, as TDEC recommends for every Tennessee home, or sooner if you renovate or change the HVAC.
2.0 to 4.0
The EPA suggests considering a fix in this range. There’s no level of radon with zero risk, so this is a judgment call. A second test helps you make it.
4.0 and above
Confirm with a follow-up test, then fix it. If the number is far above 4, run that follow-up right away rather than waiting a season. How mitigation works.
When the free kit is the wrong test
If you’re buying or selling a house, a mailed charcoal kit won’t hold up in the deal. Transactions use a certified professional with a continuous radon monitor running a 48-hour test, because it records hour-by-hour data that both sides can trust and that shows if anyone opened a window. How radon testing works in a home sale, and what to check if the house already has a system.
Your kit came back at 4.0 or higher?
A certified radon mitigator confirms the number, looks at your foundation, and puts the fix in writing. Most systems install in a day or two and are verified with a retest under 4.0.
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Free test kit questions, straight answers
Who can get a free radon test kit in Tennessee?
Tennessee residents, through the Tennessee Radon Program run by TDEC. Request one online, by calling 1-800-232-1139, or by emailing TDEC.Radon@tn.gov. The kit ships to your address with prepaid return postage, so the whole test costs you nothing but a few days of patience.
How long does it take to get radon test results?
The test itself runs three to five days. After you mail the kit back, expect your result in about a week. The fastest way to an accurate number is to mail the kit the same day the test ends, because a kit that sits around before mailing can read inaccurately.
What’s the best time of year to test for radon?
Any time of year works as long as the house is closed up during the test. Radon tends to run highest in a closed-up winter house, when the warm air rising through the house pulls the hardest on the ground below it, so a winter test gives you the more conservative number. Testing in summer with the windows open will understate it.
Can I put the test kit in my crawl space?
No. Test the lowest level where people actually spend time. A crawl space reading will usually run higher than the air in your rooms, and it isn’t what you breathe. What matters for your health, and what the EPA’s action level is based on, is the air in the lived-in part of the house.
My result came back high. Who do I call?
Confirm it with a follow-up test, then call a certified radon mitigator. Tennessee doesn’t license mitigators, so national certification through NRPP or NRSB is the credential to ask for; both run public directories, and the Tennessee Radon Program points homeowners to them. A system goes in within a day or two and is verified with a retest under 4.0.
Get the kit. Get the number. Then decide.
Radon has no smell and no symptoms, and Knox County sits in the EPA’s highest-risk zone. A free kit is the cheapest health decision you’ll make this year.
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