Radon mitigation in Colorado Springs: testing, cost and finishing around the system

Test your basement before anyone frames a wall. Radon rises from the soil under Colorado homes, and a test against EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level is the only way to know your number.¹² At or above that level, the usual fix is a vent pipe and fan that pull gas from under the floor.² One radon company's page for Manitou Springs, in El Paso County, puts a typical system around $1,000.³

TL;DR

• Test the lowest level before you finish it. A result at or above 4.0 pCi/L means you mitigate first and frame second.²
• The only local price we found is about $1,000 for a system, and it comes from a radon company's sales page.³ Budget from a written quote.
• Next to a $30,000 to $75,000 finish (checked September 2026), the system is a small line item. Moving its pipe after the drywall is up is the expensive mistake.
• A structural-floor house has no slab on the soil, so the system has to work from the crawl space. Get that plan in writing.
• Retest once the system runs, and keep the pipe and fan reachable after the finish.

How high is radon in Colorado Springs homes?

High enough that every basement here is worth testing. Radon comes from uranium breaking down in the soil, and it enters homes from the ground beneath them.¹ Local geology makes higher levels more common around Colorado Springs.² A neighbor's result doesn't tell you yours, and testing is the only way to know.²

Colorado's health department calls radon the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers in the United States. It links radon to about 500 lung cancer deaths a year in Colorado.¹ The department also publishes Colorado radon data, which gives useful context for your area.¹ Some radon company pages in local search results add health claims you won't find on the state's radon page. Use the health department for the health question and a test for the house question.

Results come in picocuries per liter of air, written pCi/L. EPA recommends taking action at or above 4.0 pCi/L.²

The gas is most likely to collect in the lowest level of a house.³ The room you're about to turn into a bedroom or family room is the one where radon gathers.

How should you test a basement before finishing it?

Put the test in the lowest level before framing starts, and keep outside ventilation to a minimum while it runs.³ A short-term test runs two to seven days. A long-term test runs 90 days or longer.³ If you're buying the house, an inspector's test usually runs 48 hours or longer.²

Sources: short-term and long-term durations³; professional test devices and duration².

If you'd rather hire the test out, ask whether the tester follows National Radon Proficiency Program protocols.² Test before demolition or framing. A clean reading on a bare slab gives you a clear starting point, and a high one tells you to book the mitigator before the finishing contractor.

What does radon mitigation cost in Colorado Springs?

Plan on a written quote, not a posted price. The one local figure we found is on a radon company's Manitou Springs page. It says a system typically costs around $1,000 and takes less than a day to install.³ That page is undated sales copy, so treat the number as a rough anchor for your budget.

The same page says the right system depends on the radon level, the foundation type and the building codes in your community.³ A house with an unusual foundation, or a pipe that has to thread through finished rooms, should expect a quote built around those details.

Each figure below comes from a different source with a different scope.

At those figures, the system works out to about 1 to 3 percent of the finish. The cheap part is the system. The costly part is ripping out drywall later because nobody planned where the pipe would go.

Colorado's health department runs a Low Income Radon Mitigation Assistance program, known as LIRMA.¹ Check its page for eligibility before you pay out of pocket. For what drives a radon quote beyond Colorado Springs, see our radon mitigation cost guide. For the rest of the budget, see what basement remodeling costs in Colorado Springs.

How does a radon system fit a basement finish?

It fits best when it goes in first. The system creates a vacuum in the soil under the house. Gas travels up a pipe and out a vent above the roofline.³ That pipe has to run somewhere, so decide its route before walls, soffits and ceilings get framed.

Install the system before framing

Radon systems go in at the lowest level of the home, where the foundation meets the soil.³ It's the same floor you're finishing. When the mitigator works on a bare slab, they can pick the best suction point. Your finishing contractor can then frame around the result instead of guessing.

Plan the pipe route with both trades

Get the mitigator and your contractor to agree on the route on paper. Common questions to settle:

• Can the pipe run through a utility room or storage closet instead of a living space?
• If it has to cross a finished room, will it sit in a framed chase or soffit?
• Where does it leave the basement, and how does it reach a vent above the roofline?³
• Where does the fan go, and who can reach it later?

Keep access after the finish

Keep the parts you'll need to see within reach. Leave access to the suction point, the fan and any gauge the installer fits. Flooring and drywall can go around the system and still leave it open. Our guide to radon system maintenance covers what gets checked later.

Retest after installation

A follow-up test confirms the system works.² Run it before you close up the walls if the timing allows. A second test after the finish is a sensible check that nothing changed. Our guide to how radon mitigation systems work covers the parts in more detail. For the wider planning steps, see the guide to finishing a basement in Colorado.

What changes with a structural-floor basement?

The system has to work from the crawl space instead of under a slab. Swelling soil is a common and sometimes serious problem in Colorado.⁴ Some houses built on it have a framed floor held above the soil rather than a slab poured on it. With no slab to drill, ask the mitigator how they'll seal and vent the space underneath.

Radon systems are built for slab foundations, crawl spaces and basements.³ The method changes with the floor, so the quote should say which one you're getting and why.

For the finish, three things follow:

• The crawl space access stays open. The mitigator and future inspectors need to reach the space under the floor. Keep finished walls and built-ins clear of the access.
• The pipe still has to reach the roofline. It starts under the floor instead of in the slab, and its route through the finished rooms still needs planning.³
• Nobody cuts floor framing without sign-off. A structural floor carries load. Any hole or notch for the pipe needs your contractor's approval, and an engineer's if the framing plan calls for one.

What should a radon quote show?

A good radon quote shows where every part of the system will sit in your finished basement. If it only lists a price, ask for the rest in writing before you sign.

Look for these items:

• The test result the quote is based on, and the type of test.
• How many suction points there are and where they go.
• The pipe route through each room, and where it vents above the roofline.³
• Where the fan goes.
• A follow-up test after installation.²
• Whether the tester or installer follows National Radon Proficiency Program protocols.²
• A written scope of work, payment schedule and estimated start and finish dates. Denver's permit office gives the same advice for any contractor.⁵

Check the company too. BBB's radon mitigation category near Colorado Springs showed 114 results on September 29, 2026.⁶ The list mixes radon specialists with other trades, including a roofing and general contracting firm, so read each profile's listed services.⁶

Once the radon plan is settled, get a written quote for finishing your basement in Colorado Springs. Basement Remodeling Co. sends your request to one vetted, licensed basement contractor. You get a free on-site estimate and a written, itemized quote, and your contractor pulls the permit and books the inspections. Bring the radon plan to that estimate so the framing works around the pipe. If your basement is already finished, see basement remodeling in Colorado Springs. You can also find a basement contractor by ZIP or read more local planning notes for Colorado Springs.