Commercial Radon Testing & Mitigation in Georgia

Georgia does not have a state-level mandate requiring commercial radon testing. The real triggers are federal multifamily loan programs (HUD/FHA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac), tenant or parent requests, acquisition due diligence, and internal risk policies. Knowing which of these applies to a specific property is the first thing to settle before any money is spent.

Three differences. First, device count: residential is typically two devices in a home; commercial scales by floor area and number of ground-contact spaces. Second, duration and conditions: HVAC must operate normally, weather conditions are documented, and devices are placed where occupants actually spend time. Third, the deliverable: a commercial report is formatted to be defensible to a lender, attorney, or operator board, with site plan, device locations, raw data, and chain of custody.

Testing cost is driven by floor area, number of ground-contact spaces, and how fast you need the report. Small commercial buildings (under 10,000 sf) are at the low end; large multifamily and warehouse projects run higher because they need more devices and more time on site. A fixed-fee quote follows a 10-minute call about the building.

Mitigation cost is driven by slab area, slab construction (poured concrete, post-tension, sub-membrane on a vapor barrier), the number of suction points needed, riser routing, electrical runs, and whether the building is occupied during work. A small office mitigation can come in similar to a large home; a 200,000 sf warehouse with multiple suction points is in a different range. Mitigation quotes follow a site visit, not before.

Testing is passive in most cases. Small devices sit on a desk or counter for 48 hours to 90 days depending on the protocol used. Tenants and staff continue normal operations. Mitigation install is louder, but the work is phased. After-hours electrical, weekend riser drops, and tenant notification language are all part of the plan handed over before work starts.

Standard commercial leases vary. Most net leases assign environmental responsibility to the landlord, but specific clauses can shift that. If a tenant raised the question first, a documented test is generally the most defensible response, regardless of how the lease assigns cost. The specific allocation depends on the lease language and should be reviewed with counsel for a given property.

A short-term commercial test is 48 to 96 hours of device exposure plus lab time, so two to three weeks from kickoff to the testing report. Long-term testing for ongoing monitoring runs 90+ days. Mitigation design and install for a typical commercial building is two to six weeks from approved scope to verified post-mitigation result.

No. ASTM E1527-21, the current Phase I standard, lists radon as a non-scope consideration. A clean Phase I does not say anything about radon. The consultant simply did not look at it. If the property is in a higher-radon Georgia county and radon needs to be checked before closing, it has to be added to the user-defined scope of the Phase I.

There is no commercial-specific federal action level. The 4.0 pCi/L EPA action level is the threshold most consultants, lenders, and operators apply, the same number used in residential. Internal operator policies vary, and some apply more conservative thresholds (the WHO reference level of about 2.7 pCi/L is one example). The applicable threshold depends on the deal type and operator policy and is set up front before testing begins.

A commercial report includes: site plan with device locations, device serial numbers and chain-of-custody, weather conditions during the test, HVAC operating state, device-by-device results, narrative interpretation, and recommendation. If mitigation was performed, the report also includes the system design, photos, and post-mitigation verification results. The package is built to be handed to a lender, attorney, or operator board without follow-up questions.