At the September 22, 2026 Council Meeting, the City Council reviewed a letter from Jessica Baker (attached) regarding elevated radon levels in the rental property that her daughter is living in. The City Council directed that staff place the item on a future agenda. Staff responded to the Council with a memo describing an example of a radon ordinance in place in Iowa City (attached). The City Council moved on October 13, 2026 to place this memo on a future agenda for discussion.
An email was sent to all rental housing contacts notifying them of the Council's intent to discuss the possibility of an ordinance regarding radon. That email invited them to the Council meeting scheduled for November 10, 2026. It also directed them to email the City Council if they had thoughts to share about this topic prior to the meeting.
- Direct staff to draft an ordinance that would regulate radon testing or testing and mitigation in rental housing units.
- Delay any action regarding this initiative until the City Council has received feedback from the rental property owners.
- Refer this item to staff to perform additional research regarding this topic.
- Take no action.
Radon is a naturally occurring odorless, colorless, radioactive gas. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Iowa is at high risk for exposure to radon gas in homes. Radon is the first leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers. Awareness of radon prevalence and the importance of mitigation has increased in recent years. The State of Iowa adopted new building codes this year that require passive radon mitigation to be installed in every new single-family and two-family structure.
The City of Ames does not currently have any requirement for radon testing or mitigation in homes. There are examples of such requirements in other communities. It should be noted that the Council has not yet to received any feedback from the rental property owners. However, if the City Council wishes to proceed with establishing a radon mitigation testing program, or a testing and mitigation program, for rental housing, it would be appropriate for the Council to direct staff to prepare an ordinance modifying the Rental Housing Code to initiate it.