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Most radon pages want to sell you something. This one is a reference. It collects the official Kentucky and federal sources for radon in Warren County in one place — the rules, the data, the free test kits, and the phone numbers — so you can check any of it yourself rather than taking a contractor’s word for it.
If you would rather skip to the practical version: Warren County reads high, testing is the only way to know what your house does, and a professional test takes 48 hours.
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter, written pCi/L.
The EPA places Warren County in Radon Zone 1, its highest-risk category, meaning predicted average indoor levels above the 4.0 pCi/L action level. Local readings several times that threshold are routine, and Warren County sits among the highest-reading counties in Kentucky.
One caveat that matters more here than almost anywhere: a zone describes a county, not a house. Over karst, radon varies sharply across short distances, because what governs entry is the specific fracture network under your specific foundation. A Zone 1 classification means high readings are common. It does not tell you what your home reads. Yours might read 3, or 30.
Bowling Green sits on limestone karst — the same geology responsible for Lost River Cave, the sinkholes, and the caves north of here. Uranium in the rock decays to radium, radium decays to radon, and the fractures and solution channels that riddle dissolved limestone give that gas a fast path upward instead of letting it decay underground.
The longer version, including how your house pulls soil gas in and why winter readings run higher, is in our explainer: why Warren County has some of Kentucky’s highest radon levels.
Certification is required. Since January 1, 2013, Kentucky law has required certification to conduct radon measurement, mitigation, or laboratory analysis for compensation. It is administered by the Kentucky Board of Radon Safety. Homeowners testing or mitigating the single-family home they occupy are exempt, as are building owners measuring their own buildings and government employees acting officially.
The practical version: if you are paying someone, they need to be certified, and you are entitled to ask for proof.
Sellers disclose known results. Kentucky’s Seller’s Disclosure of Property Condition form (KREC Form 402) has included radon since December 2019. Section 11 asks the seller to disclose radon testing conducted at the property and any mitigation system installed. It asks what you know — so a test you have run becomes disclosable, and an installed, verified system becomes a documented improvement rather than an open question.
Free kit from a library. The Kentucky Geological Survey’s “Radon on the RADAR” program places free radon detector kits for checkout at participating county libraries across Kentucky. Ask your local branch whether they participate.
Your local health department. Warren County is served by the Barren River District Health Department. Several Kentucky health departments distribute free or low-cost kits; availability varies by district, so call and ask rather than assuming.
A hardware-store kit. Inexpensive and a reasonable screening tool. Charcoal kits are sensitive to placement, humidity, and time spent in the mail, so treat the result as a first look rather than a verdict.
A certified professional test. Required if the number has to satisfy a real estate contract, a lender, or a relocation company. A continuous monitor run for 48 hours under closed-building conditions produces an hourly record and a certified report.
For a first look at whether you have a problem at all, a free or cheap kit is genuinely fine. Use a professional test when the number has to hold up to somebody else’s scrutiny.
Kentucky Geological Survey publishes what it describes as the most detailed statewide indoor radon potential map in the country, built by combining more than 70,000 home test results with digital geologic mapping. County-level maps and infographics are available through the University of Kentucky’s BREATHE program.
EPA radon zones classify counties by predicted average indoor screening level. Zone 1 is the highest-risk designation, meaning predicted averages above 4.0 pCi/L. Much of south-central Kentucky, including the karst belt, falls in Zone 1.
Western Kentucky University maps Kentucky Radon Program measurement data (1998–2008) by county. That map places Warren County’s average above 4.0 pCi/L — more than the EPA action level.
A map tells you the odds for your area. It does not tell you your number. Only a test does that.
The Kentucky Board of Radon Safety does not publish its own directory. It points to the two national registries, both of which have public “find a professional” lookups:
Ask any contractor for their certification number, then look it up. Ask whether their work follows ANSI/AARST standards. Ask whether a post-mitigation verification test is included in the quote, in writing. Any contractor worth hiring will expect all three questions.
Kentucky Board of Radon Safety — certification, complaints, and regulation
500 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY 40601 · (502) 782-2782 · Radon@ky.gov · radon.ky.gov
Kentucky Department for Public Health, Radon Program — general radon health information
(502) 564-4856
Kentucky Geological Survey — radon potential mapping and the library kit program
(859) 257-3148 · kgsmail@uky.edu · kygs.uky.edu/geology/radon
Barren River District Health Department — local public health for Warren County
barrenriverhealth.org
US EPA — action level, radon zones, and consumer guides
epa.gov/radon
Under 2.0 pCi/L. No action recommended. Retest every few years and after any foundation, HVAC, or major renovation work.
2.0 to 3.9 pCi/L. Below the action level. Worth considering mitigation, especially if the low level of the house is finished space somebody uses daily.
4.0 pCi/L or above. Mitigation recommended. If the number came from a mail-in kit and sits close to 4.0, a professional confirmation test is reasonable. If it is clearly high, skip the retest and get quotes.
Above 10 pCi/L. Common here, and worth handling promptly rather than next spring.
A fuller walkthrough of what to do after a high result is here: what to do if your home fails a radon test.
Everything on this page is checkable against the sources listed above. When you’re ready for a number specific to your house, testing takes 48 hours.
Bowling Green Radon — Connecting Bowling Green and Warren County homeowners with certified radon professionals
Serving Bowling Green, Alvaton, Plano, Richardsville, Smiths Grove, Oakland, Rockfield, Woodburn, and Drake.
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Radon information on this site is general guidance, not a substitute for professional testing of your specific home. Bowling Green Radon is a referral service and does not itself perform radon measurement or mitigation.