Locations and reports
Radon Levels in New Mexico
What this means for you
- Your area: EPA rates 7 of New Mexico's 33 classified counties Zone 1, the highest of its three radon zones. Zones are predictions for whole counties, and homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones.
- Local tests: CDC publishes New Mexico's radon test results by county. Open your county below to see its figures.
- Your home: The only way to know your home’s level is to test it.
pCi/L (picocuries per liter) is the unit radon is measured in. EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above, its action level.
For New Mexico, EPA's Map of Radon Zones places 7 of its 33 classified counties in Zone 1, highest predicted potential, a prediction for each county as a whole. Radon levels vary from home to home, so only a test measures the level in yours.
Predicted: EPA radon zone
33 of 33 counties classified
EPA classifies counties, not states. Of the 33 counties in New Mexico with a zone, 7 are in Zone 1 and 26 in Zone 2.
- Zone 1: Highest predicted potentialgreater than 4 pCi/L7 of 33 counties · 21.2%
- Zone 2: Moderate predicted potential2 to 4 pCi/L26 of 33 counties · 78.8%
An EPA radon zone describes predicted potential across a whole county. It is not intended to determine whether any individual home should be tested, and homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones. EPA recommends testing every home regardless of zone, and testing is the only way to know the radon level in a specific building.
This is a county-level geologic prediction. It is not a measurement of any address, and houses with elevated radon are found in all three zones.
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
CDC publishes New Mexico's radon test figures by county: 30 of its 33 counties have one. Each county's share is in the county list.
New Mexico, In figures
New Mexico in figures
What the published data says about New Mexico, in words. A zone and a share of tests describe an area, never the level in any one home.
Predicted
PredictedEPA places 7 of New Mexico's 33 counties in Zone 1 and 26 in Zone 2.
Zone 1 counties, A to Z, begin with Bernalillo County, Colfax County and Mora County; the county section below lists all 7.
Compared
Calculated by Radon41121% of New Mexico's counties with a zone on file are in Zone 1, a smaller share than across all U.S. counties (34%). It is a share of counties, not of land, people or homes.
Reported tests
MeasuredCDC has no statewide testing figure for New Mexico on file here.
30 of the 33 counties have a published county figure; the most tests in each one's latest year were reported for Santa Fe County (1,384 in 2017), Bernalillo County (728 in 2017) and Sandoval County (92 in 2017).
New Mexico's radon program is the New Mexico Indoor Radon Outreach Program, run by New Mexico Environment Department; its contacts are under Local resources.
New Mexico, Counties
New Mexico counties by EPA zone
PredictedAll 33 counties, by the zone EPA predicts for each. Every county has its own report.
Zone 1: highest predicted potential7
- Bernalillo County24.3% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Colfax County40.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Mora County25.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Rio Arriba County50.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- San Miguel County45.8% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Santa Fe County31.2% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Taos County77.1% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
Zone 2: moderate predicted potential26
- Catron County0.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Chaves County44.4% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Cibola County53.8% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Curry County3.7% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- De Baca CountyReported testing not yet available
- Doña Ana County12.5% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Eddy County5.6% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Grant County46.7% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Guadalupe CountyReported testing not yet available
- Harding County0.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2015
- Hidalgo CountyReported testing not yet available
- Lea County16.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Lincoln County27.3% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Los Alamos County38.5% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Luna County40.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- McKinley County27.3% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Otero County13.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Quay County100.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Roosevelt County100.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- San Juan County33.9% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Sandoval County21.4% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Sierra County0.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Socorro County0.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Torrance County14.3% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Union County100.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
- Valencia County20.0% of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
New Mexico, Local resources
Local resources in New Mexico
Who to ask in New Mexico: the state's radon program, test kits and professionals.
New Mexico Indoor Radon Outreach Program
New Mexico Environment Department
New Mexico’s radon program answers questions about testing, mitigation and the rules where you live.
- Phone
- (505) 476-8600
- radon.questions@env.nm.gov
- Licensing of radon professionals
There is not currently a certification program within the state.
Test kits
The program says: The New Mexico Environment Department seasonally distributes free radon testing kits to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
Radon professionals
No professionals are listed in New Mexico yet. The state program can point you to registered testers and mitigators.
See the New Mexico directoryNew Mexico, Questions
Questions about radon in New Mexico
Common questions9 questions, answered from the figures above
Is radon a problem in New Mexico?
EPA's Map of Radon Zones places 7 of the 33 New Mexico counties it classifies in Zone 1, the highest predicted potential, 26 in Zone 2 and 0 in Zone 3. An EPA radon zone describes predicted potential across a whole county. It is not intended to determine whether any individual home should be tested, and homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones. EPA recommends testing every home regardless of zone, and testing is the only way to know the radon level in a specific building.
How do I get a radon test in New Mexico?
EPA says you can test your home yourself or hire a qualified radon test company, and that either approach takes only a small amount of time and effort. The New Mexico radon program is the place to ask about certified testers and any test kit offer it runs.
How to test a homeFree and low-cost kits by stateNew Mexico radon program
Which New Mexico counties are in EPA radon Zone 1?
7 counties are in Zone 1: Bernalillo County, Colfax County, Mora County, Rio Arriba County, San Miguel County, Santa Fe County, Taos County. Zone 1 is EPA's class for highest predicted potential, a predicted average indoor screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. A zone is a prediction for a county, not a measurement of any home.
Radon in Bernalillo CountyRadon in Colfax CountyRadon in Mora County
Who does radon mitigation in New Mexico?
Radon411 has no certified mitigators listed for New Mexico yet. EPA recommends having a qualified contractor fix a home with a radon problem, because lowering high radon levels takes technical knowledge and special skills, and some states require the work to be done by a licensed or certified professional.
How radon mitigation worksWhat mitigation costsRadon professionals in New Mexico
Which New Mexico counties have the highest radon?
33 of New Mexico's 33 counties have an EPA radon zone published here. Radon411 will not rank counties on data it does not hold, and a zone is a prediction for an area rather than a measurement of any building.
What share of radon tests in New Mexico are high?
CDC has published no statewide radon testing statistics for New Mexico, so we cannot give a figure. Where CDC does publish one, the percentage describes radon tests reported to CDC, not homes.
Which EPA region is New Mexico in?
New Mexico is in EPA Region 6: South Central.
Do I need to test my home in New Mexico?
Yes, wherever you live in the state. Testing is the only way to know the radon level in a specific building. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L.
Why does this page show coverage rather than one radon level for New Mexico?
A statewide figure averages counties with very different geology and very different numbers of reported tests, so it hides more than it shows. The county report is the level at which the EPA zone, the geologic potential and the reported testing statistics are actually published, which is why the county table above links to every one of them.
What these figures mean if you own, buy, sell or rent
The zone counts on this page describe counties across New Mexico. They are predictions for areas, and none of them measures your building.
- How to test a home
If you own your home
Test the lowest lived-in level; a short-term kit screens in days, a long-term kit reflects the year.
- Buying a house: radon guide
If you are buying
Ask for past results and any system's post-mitigation test, and test during the sale.
- Selling a house: radon guide
If you are selling
Testing before you list puts the timing in your hands; disclosure rules differ by state.
- Radon in rental homes
If you rent, or rent out a home
A tenant can test; a fix is the owner's to make, and duties differ by state.
How long a test has to run, under what conditions, and what EPA says a result means: the testing standard, in full.
New Mexico, Products
Testing and mitigation products
Whatever the figures for New Mexico show, only a test tells you about one home.
Testing
- Short-term test kitsPassive detectors exposed for a few days under closed-building conditions, then analyzed by a lab.
- Long-term test kitsDetectors exposed for more than 90 days, for a closer picture of the annual average.
- Continuous monitorsPowered devices that log radon on a repeating cycle, often used for transaction tests.
- Digital detectorsConsumer devices that display a running radon reading without a lab.
- Water radon testsKits for radon dissolved in well water, analyzed by a lab.
Mitigation
- Mitigation fansThe inline fan that keeps a soil depressurization system running, sized by the installer.
- System indicatorsU-tube manometers and fan alarms that show whether a mitigation system is still working.
- Sealing materialsCrack, joint and sump sealing used alongside a mitigation system, not instead of one.
New Mexico / Next steps
What to do next
Learn
Know what radon is
What radon is, how it gets indoors, and why a county zone is not a reading for your home.
Learn about radonTest
Test the building you live in
Short-term or long-term, where the device goes, and closed-house conditions.
How to testFix
Bring a high level down
How a mitigation system works, and the retest that confirms it.
How mitigation worksFind a pro
Hire a certified professional
Measurement and mitigation professionals by state, with their certifications.
Find a professional
Informational. Follow EPA guidance. EPA says all radon tests should be taken for a minimum of 48 hours, with windows and doors closed from 12 hours before a short-term test.