Buyer Notes · Inspections
Kentucky radon testing is regulated by a licensing statute, and almost every article you will find still cites the wrong statute number for it. The radon certification law moved out of KRS Chapter 211 and into KRS Chapter 309 effective July 14, 2022. If you are buying a house in Lee, Estill, Powell or Fayette County and want a radon result you can rely on, the question to ask is narrow: is the person holding the detector certified under KRS 309.430 to 309.454?
Does Kentucky require the person testing for radon to be certified?
Yes. Since January 1, 2013, no person or business may conduct radon measurement, mitigation or laboratory analysis in Kentucky without the appropriate certification.
KRS 309.436 states it plainly: “No person or business entity shall conduct radon measurement, mitigation, or laboratory analysis in this Commonwealth after January 1, 2013, without the appropriate certification pursuant to KRS 309.430 to 309.454.” The same section bars anyone from advertising or claiming to be a “certified measurement contractor,” “certified mitigation contractor,” or “certified radon laboratory” unless they actually hold that certification. The wording matters, because the second sentence is about advertising — it is the one that makes a marketing claim checkable.
Why does everyone cite KRS 211.9101 for this?
Because that was the right citation until 2022. The radon sections were renumbered into KRS Chapter 309 effective July 14, 2022, and one of the old sections was repealed outright.
Pull up KRS 211.9101 today and the entire text of the section reads: “Renumbered as 309.430, effective July 14, 2022.” The same is true of 211.9103 to 309.432, 211.9105 to 309.434 and 211.9107 to 309.436. KRS 211.9135, which had made the cabinet the radon control agency for the Commonwealth, was repealed by 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 73, sec. 14, effective the same date. Nothing about radon obligations loosened — the statutes simply moved, and a great deal of published material never followed them. When you are checking whether a contractor’s claim is backed by law, the live chapter is 309.
A citation to KRS 211.9101 is not wrong about the rule. It is a sign the source has not been re-read since July 2022.
Can a homeowner test their own house?
Yes. KRS 309.436 exempts an owner measuring or mitigating a single-family residential building they own and occupy, and an owner measuring any residential or commercial building they own.
Read as a transaction fact, that exemption has an edge to it. A seller can lawfully run a test on their own house. A buyer cannot — they do not own the building yet. So a seller-run result and a buyer-ordered certified measurement are not the same instrument, and they do not carry the same weight when a number is close to a decision point. The statute lists further exceptions, including a person performing measurement who assists and is under the general supervision of a measurement contractor. This is general information about what the statute says, not legal advice.
How do I verify a contractor is actually certified?
Through the Kentucky Board of Radon Safety, which is required by statute to maintain a public list of all certified persons and business entities it has registered.
KRS 309.434 lists the board’s duties, which include issuing a registration certificate to certified persons or business entities registered by the board and maintaining a public list of them. The Kentucky Board of Radon Safety publishes on its own site that it administers and enforces that statutory authority and “prosecutes by due process any violators of KRS 309.430 to 309.454,” and lists Radon@ky.gov and 502-782-2782 as its contacts, along with quick links to the board’s laws and regulations and to the national NRPP and NRSP “Find a Pro” directories. Verifying a certification is a phone call or an email, and it costs nothing.
Does the EPA radon map tell me whether this house needs a test?
No — and the EPA says so itself. The Map of Radon Zones exists to help organisations target resources and implement radon-resistant building codes, not to screen individual houses.
The EPA Map of Radon Zones page states that the purpose of the map “is to assist national, state and local organizations to target their resources and to implement radon-resistant building codes,” and that it “should not be used to determine if individual homes need to be tested. No matter where you live, test your home for radon—it’s easy and inexpensive.” That is a direct contradiction of the most common shortcut in local real estate writing, which treats a county’s zone number as the answer. The zone is a planning tool. The house is the question.
Where this fits in a Kentucky purchase
The habit that keeps this simple is to decide the radon question at the same time you decide the inspection question, not after. A radon measurement takes time to run, and the inspection period is the part of a Kentucky contract that does not stretch on request. Pair this with the Kentucky home inspections overview and the Kentucky seller disclosure guide so the whole diligence window is planned as one block of time. I am your agent, not your contractor and not your lawyer — my job is to make sure the certified-tester question gets asked on day one rather than on day nine.
| Old citation | Live citation | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| KRS 211.9101 | KRS 309.430 | Definitions |
| KRS 211.9103 | KRS 309.432 | Kentucky Board of Radon Safety — creation and membership |
| KRS 211.9105 | KRS 309.434 | Board powers, including the public list of certified persons |
| KRS 211.9107 | KRS 309.436 | Certification required; advertising restriction; exceptions |
| KRS 211.9135 | Repealed 2022 | Cabinet’s former role as radon control agency |
Does Kentucky law require a radon test before a home sale?
KRS 309.430 to 309.454 is a certification statute — it governs who may perform measurement, mitigation and laboratory analysis, and what they may advertise. It does not, by its own terms, order a test as a condition of a sale. Whether a test happens in your transaction is a contract question to work out with your agent and attorney.
Is there a real estate representative on the Kentucky Board of Radon Safety?
Yes. KRS 309.432 sets the board at seven members and provides that one nonvoting member shall be a real estate salesperson or broker, alongside a nonvoting member representing the home building industry and four members drawn from radon measurement contractors, mitigation contractors, or persons associated with a radon laboratory.
What counts as “certified” under the Kentucky statute?
KRS 309.430 defines “certified” as meeting the certification requirements of a proficiency program for radon measurement, radon mitigation, or radon laboratory analysis. The board separately issues a registration certificate to certified persons and entities it registers under KRS 309.434.
Last updated: October 18, 2026. Statutory text read from the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission’s published statutes, and the EPA and Kentucky Board of Radon Safety pages read, on October 18, 2026.
Disclosure: Marcos Gil publishes marcosgilrealty.com and Invest in the Gorge, and owns Central Property Services.
By Marcos Gil, REALTOR® — Keller Williams Commonwealth · KY Real Estate License No. 296259 · Call or text (859) 310-1209.
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