IA · Polk County

Radon Test Kits in Des Moines, IA

The walk-up Des Moines option is the Polk County Health Department front desk at 1907 Carpenter Avenue. Kits are $15. Hours on the county page are Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Because Des Moines is in Polk County, you can also use the American Lung Association free-kit form, one per household while supplies last.

Last verified October 1, 2026. Confirm the official page before you travel. Prices and stock change.

Local option

Available when checkedLow-cost test kit

Polk County Health Department radon kits

The Polk County Health Department offers radon test kits for $15 at the front desk on Carpenter Avenue in Des Moines.

$15

$15 at the front desk.

Buy a kit at the front desk. The page also links American Lung Association kits and the Iowa Radon Hotline at 1-800-383-5992.

Polk County Health Department front desk

This is the Des Moines office.

1907 Carpenter Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50314

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Phone: 515-286-3798

The page lists short-term kits (2 to 7 days) and long-term kits (up to 90 days) as testing options. It states the $15 price for kits at the front desk and does not split that price by kit length. Email on the page: healthdept@polkcountyiowa.gov.

Last verified October 1, 2026Radon - Polk County Iowa See something outdated? Report a change.

LimitedMail or online kit

Iowa free radon test kit program

The American Lung Association, with Iowa HHS, offers one free radon kit per household while supplies last, and limits this year's distribution to 11 counties.

Who it is for. Iowa residents, one kit per household while supplies last. This year's Lung Association distribution is only for residents of 11 counties. Other counties use a different form on the same page.

Free

One free kit per household while supplies last.

Black Hawk, Scott, and Polk order on the Lung Association form. Boone, Dallas, Dubuque, Johnson, Linn, Pottawattamie, Story, Warren, and Woodbury may use that form, and the Lung Association may tell you to reorder through Healthy Hometowns: Combat Cancer. Every other county uses the Healthy Hometowns form on the same page. Iowa Radon HelpLine on that page: 1-800-383-5992, weekdays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Order link published by the agency

The page was last updated September 25, 2026. The Healthy Hometowns form linked there is https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=TcohubbnzEKVKNCd4jQaD_u6bhNQJGpGvuAZkJAVzSNURUowRVE4UkVCUzBHWlFMNUJVN0lPOTdVRC4u&route=shorturl. Those helpline hours are longer than the hours on the Iowa HHS radon page. Keep both. A note that the paid kit store would be down on September 28, 2026 is out of date and is not repeated here. This is not the Polk County $15 counter.

Last verified October 1, 2026Radon in Iowa | American Lung Association See something outdated? Report a change.

Available when checkedMail or online kit

Iowa radon hotline and test kits

Iowa HHS points you to the Radon Hotline and to American Lung Association kits. It does not list a dollar price on the page we checked.

Iowa HHS calls these low-cost kits. The page we checked does not list a dollar price.

Call the Iowa Radon Hotline at 1-800-383-5992, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central, or order through the American Lung Association at lung.org/radon. You can also ask your county health department.

Order link published by the agency

Iowa HHS says it contracts with the American Lung Association to staff the hotline. After hours, the hotline records a message. The hotline hours on this HHS page are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central. A separate American Lung Association page lists different helpline hours and a limited free kit. That free kit is its own record.

Last verified October 1, 2026Radon | Iowa Health and Human Services See something outdated? Report a change.

Prefer a reusable electronic radon monitor?

A short-term test kit is a good low-cost way to screen a home. If you want to see how radon changes over days, weeks, and seasons, or you want a monitor you can reuse in another home, an electronic radon monitor may be a better fit.

Bill's current pick from the Minneapolis guide: Airthings View Radon. It is the simpler radon display. View Plus is the one to compare if you also want a wider indoor air picture.

See current Airthings price Compare radon monitors

If you purchase through our Airthings link, we receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Our affiliate link may provide a discount on eligible products. This helps support the local radon-testing directory.

The product link does not apply a discount by itself. Bill's Minneapolis guide says to add the monitor to your cart, enter your name and shipping, then type ARS10 at checkout. That guide says the code is 10% off eligible Airthings products, it does not apply to items that are already discounted, and it does not stack with other offers. Code: ARS10.

EPA radon zone

EPA classifies Polk County as Zone 1, its highest radon-potential category. Individual homes can vary, so testing is still the only way to know your home's level. The zone is not a claim that your house is high.

Local radon notes

EPA classifies Polk County as Zone 1, its highest radon-potential category. Individual homes can vary, so testing is still the only way to know your home's level.

Source: EPA Map of Radon Zones (county file https://www.epa.gov/system/files/other-files/2024-06/radon-zones-202406.json). Checked October 1, 2026.

How to test, and what a result means

Place the kit the way its instructions say, and keep the house closed when the kit requires that. A short test is a screen. It is not the last word if your state wants a follow-up test.

How to test for radon
Understanding radon results
What 4 pCi/L means

Sources

Radon - Polk County Iowa. Verified October 1, 2026.
Radon in Iowa | American Lung Association. Verified October 1, 2026.
Radon | Iowa Health and Human Services. Verified October 1, 2026.
EPA Map of Radon Zones (county file https://www.epa.gov/system/files/other-files/2024-06/radon-zones-202406.json)

How we check programs

Where can I get a radon test kit in Des Moines?

At the Polk County Health Department, 1907 Carpenter Avenue, for $15, during the posted front-desk hours. Polk County residents can also request one free kit per household from the American Lung Association form while supplies last. The Iowa HHS hotline, 1-800-383-5992, is a third path, and that page does not list a dollar amount.

A reusable monitor does not have to stay in one house. After you have a reading you trust for your own home, you can lend it to a parent, an adult child, a coworker, a neighbor, or a friend.

Here is an example, not a sale price. If a roughly $100 monitor is eventually used by five households, the equipment cost works out to about $20 per household. Your real price will be whatever the maker charges that day.

Lending a monitor this way does not meet a professional test or a real estate requirement. When you move the device, follow the manufacturer's instructions and start a new measurement.