Canadian homes at or above the guideline
17.8
%Share of single-detached, semi-detached and row properties in Canada with radon at or above 200 Bq/m³ in the 2024 Cross-Canada Radon Survey.
- Date
- 2024-10-01
- Sample
- 69,478 long-term tests
Province or territory
Radon in British Columbia
Radon levels in British Columbia homes and where they are highest, from the 2024 survey by census division, with certified providers, funding and rules, dated.
Photo: Alan Silvester, CC BY-SA 2.0 ca, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons.
Certified providers
27
Businesses with a business address in British Columbia and at least one active C-NRPP credential, as of 2026-10-18.
- Date
- 2026-10-18
- Sample
- Not applicable
Share of properties at or above 200 Bq/m³ by survey reporting unit, British Columbia
- 5% or less
- over 5% to 10%
- over 10% to 20%
- over 20% to 30%
- over 30% to 40%
- over 40%
- No data
- Insufficient data
Each census division shows the figure for its reporting unit, so every division in a pooled unit takes the pooled figure. Divisions the report lists with no data or fewer than four readings are marked.
Source: Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure in the Residential Buildings of Urban and Rural Communities, 2024 Report, Version 1.1 (CCSR.24.1.1), released October 2024, ISSN 2818-8195. Cross-Canada Survey of Radon working group. Boundaries: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census census-division cartographic boundary file, adapted. Not an endorsement by Statistics Canada.
Radon by census division
Survey reporting units in British Columbia, 2024 Cross-Canada Radon Survey
| Reporting unit | Readings | At or above 200 Bq/m³ (%) | Geometric mean (Bq/m³) | Highest observed (Bq/m³) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberni-Clayoquot | 31 | 0 | 5.6 | 186 |
| Bulkley-Nechako | 148 | 10.1 | 51.1 | 727 |
| Capital | 990 | 1.8 | 23.7 | 989 |
| Cariboo | 357 | 7.8 | 58.2 | 973 |
| Central Kootenay | 2,837 | 41.6 | 162.2 | 10,600 |
| Central Okanagan | 3,615 | 28.5 | 120.9 | 5,073 |
| Columbia-Shuswap | 1,085 | 32.5 | 134.1 | 4,527 |
| Comox Valley | 61 | 1.6 | 21.2 | 206 |
| Cowichan Valley | 94 | 5.3 | 38.5 | 651 |
| East Kootenay | 689 | 28.9 | 104.8 | 4,074 |
| Fraser Valley | 708 | 6.9 | 53.7 | 3,250 |
| Fraser-Fort George | 2,936 | 29.9 | 108.3 | 5,446 |
| Greater Vancouver | 1,476 | 0.9 | 18.3 | 624 |
| Kitimat-Stikine | 211 | 7.1 | 47.4 | 1,052 |
| Kootenay Boundary | 745 | 33.8 | 145.1 | 2,557 |
| Mount Waddington; Central Coast (pooled) | 49 | 8.2 | 38.1 | 927 |
| Nanaimo | 386 | 1 | 18.4 | 483 |
| North Okanagan | 921 | 29 | 124.7 | 4,356 |
| Northern Rockies | 83 | 4.8 | 59.2 | 377 |
| Okanagan-Similkameen | 827 | 30.1 | 117 | 3,262 |
| Peace River | 261 | 11.1 | 56 | 1,251 |
| Powell River | 27 | 0 | 22.4 | 155 |
| Skeena-Queen Charlotte | 140 | 0 | 9.9 | 103 |
| Squamish-Lillooet | 183 | 1.1 | 24.2 | 529 |
| Stikine | 36 | 19.4 | 77.2 | 688 |
| Strathcona | 36 | 5.6 | 36.2 | 540 |
| Sunshine Coast | 35 | 2.9 | 28.6 | 333 |
| Thompson-Nicola | 744 | 27.2 | 108.1 | 2,190 |
Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure in the Residential Buildings of Urban and Rural Communities, 2024 Report, Version 1.1 (CCSR.24.1.1), released October 2024, ISSN 2818-8195. Cross-Canada Survey of Radon working group.
Cities with a page
Survey municipalities in British Columbia
| City | Census division | At or above 200 Bq/m³ (%) | Providers with an address here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbotsford | Fraser Valley | 3.4 | 0 |
| Chilliwack | Fraser Valley | 8.4 | 2 |
| Cranbrook | East Kootenay | 9.1 | 0 |
| Kamloops | Thompson-Nicola | 9.5 | 0 |
| Kelowna | Central Okanagan | 28.5 | 2 |
| Nelson | Central Kootenay | 33.7 | 4 |
| Penticton | Okanagan-Similkameen | 25.9 | 0 |
| Prince George | Fraser-Fort George | 31.5 | 1 |
| Quesnel | Cariboo | 5.8 | 0 |
| Salmon Arm | Columbia-Shuswap | 15 | 0 |
| Terrace | Kitimat-Stikine | 7.8 | 0 |
| Trail | Kootenay Boundary | 34.7 | 0 |
| Vancouver | Greater Vancouver | 0.9 | 2 |
| Vernon | North Okanagan | 30.7 | 0 |
| Victoria | Capital | 0.5 | 1 |
C-NRPP, Find a Professional directory: every province and territory searched for each of the six service types, de-duplicated by the registry's person id. Pulled on 2026-10-18.
Help paying for radon testing or mitigation in British Columbia
Grant
Lungs Matter radon mitigation grant
Up to $1,500 toward home radon mitigation. Radon is named as eligible. Current. As of 2026-09-01.
No program found
No provincial radon-specific homeowner grant or rebate
Radon is not named. Current. As of 2026-09-18.
Free or subsidized testing
100 Radon Test Kit Challenge
Radon is named as eligible. Current. As of 2026-09-18.
Radon rules in British Columbia
Laws, codes and decisions on radon that apply in British Columbia
Each row names its instrument and status as the authority states it. Guidance is not law; a tribunal decision is not court precedent. Canada's 200 Bq/m³ guideline binds no homeowner.
| Rule type | Applies to | What it says | Instrument | Status | In effect from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building code | British Columbia | A radon rough-in is required province-wide for Part 9 houses, for building permits applied for on or after 8 March 2024; houses designed under Parts 5 and 6 for radon protection are the exception. The radon vent pipe must extend to the exterior. An active system with a fan is not required. Regional exemptions were ended because new data showed radon in many areas previously thought low risk. | 2024 BC Building Code; Information Bulletin B24-03-R (revised 8 January 2025) | In force | 2024-03-08 |
| Schools and child care | British Columbia | BC's Interior Health Authority ordered child care facilities to test for radon in 2017, using its licensing powers. A regional licensing measure, not a province-wide law. | Interior Health Authority order (2017) under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act | In force | 2017-01-01 |
| Real estate disclosure | British Columbia | A known radon reading of 200 Bq/m³ or more is a material latent defect that must be disclosed to buyers and tenants; buyers' agents should ask whether a test exists and see it. There is no legal requirement to test before selling. Once a home is mitigated, the previous reading no longer has to be volunteered, but agents must answer a direct question honestly or decline to answer. | Real Estate Services Rules, ss. 30 and 59; BCFSA Radon Precautions Guidelines (30 July 2020) | In force | 2020-07-30 |
| Workers' compensation | British Columbia | British Columbia lists radon and lung cancer by name in its workers' compensation schedule. | WorkSafeBC occupational disease schedule | In force | no data |
| Building code | Canada (federal or national) | The radon rough-in with a capped stub was added to the National Building Code in 2010 and adopted by several provinces and territories. A rough-in is not a working mitigation system; code compliance does not guarantee a level below 200 Bq/m³, and only testing shows the actual level. Health Canada says current best practice calls for more complete systems. | National Building Code of Canada, radon rough-in provisions (2010 edition onward) | In force | 2010-01-01 |
| Professional certification | Canada (federal or national) | Canada has no licensing system for radon testers or mitigators. Health Canada recommends professionals certified through C-NRPP, but certification is voluntary, and no province has regulated radon professionals even though provinces have that power. | No licensing statute; C-NRPP certification is voluntary | No rule | no data |
| Real estate disclosure | Canada (federal or national) | High radon is treated as a latent defect by many real estate councils and associations; licensees must disclose known latent defects and help clients negotiate who pays for testing and mitigation. No province requires a radon test before a resale closes. Property disclosure statements in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and British Columbia include a radon line. | Latent defect disclosure duties under provincial real estate regulation | Guidance | no data |
| Guideline | Canada (federal or national) | The 200 Bq/m³ guideline is a federal health guideline, not a general legal limit for homes. For an ordinary existing home, no Canadian law requires testing, and none requires mitigation when a result exceeds 200 Bq/m³. | Government of Canada radon guideline, 200 Bq/m³ | Guidance | no data |
| Municipal liability | Canada (federal or national) | Once a local government decides to inspect building plans and construction, it owes a common law duty of care, and courts have found cities liable where inspectors failed to find design and construction flaws. A municipality is not automatically liable whenever a building tests high; the limits vary by province. | Rothfield v. Manolakos [1989] 2 SCR 1259; Just v. British Columbia, 1989 CanLII 16 (SCC); Ingles v. Tutkaluk Construction Ltd., 2000 SCC 12 | Tribunal or court decision | no data |
| Schools and child care | Canada (federal or national) | No Canada-wide law requires radon testing in schools or child care. Health Canada documents testing initiatives across provinces, but testing programs are not legal requirements. | No Canada-wide statute | No rule | no data |
| Technical standard | Canada (federal or national) | Health Canada identifies the 2019 CGSB standard as the recognized Canadian mitigation standard and recommends that building codes reference it. CARST describes three protection levels: Level 1, a rough-in for active soil depressurization; Level 2, Level 1 plus a full passive vertical radon stack; Level 3, Level 2 plus a fan. Most provinces require protection similar to Level 1. A standard is not law unless a code or regulation adopts it. | CGSB, Radon control options for new construction in low-rise residential buildings (2019) | Guidance | no data |
| Rental housing | Canada (federal or national) | Every province and territory has tenancy law requiring rental housing to be habitable and in good repair. There is no radon-specific statute requiring rental homes to be tested; tenants rely on general repair and habitability rules. Tenants are separately protected by occupiers' liability law. | Provincial and territorial tenancy legislation (habitability and repair duties) | Guidance | no data |
| Workers' compensation | Canada (federal or national) | Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador list diseases caused by ionizing radiation. British Columbia is the province Health Canada identifies as listing radon and lung cancer by name. | Provincial workers' compensation disease schedules | Guidance | no data |
| Workplace | Canada (federal or national) | The federal workplace regulation bars exposure of employees, other than nuclear energy workers, to a yearly average above 800 Bq/m³. SOR/2026-10, registered 30 January 2026 and published in the Canada Gazette on 11 February 2026, replaces the limit with 200 Bq/m³ and makes it the employer's duty, in force on 30 January 2027. Part II of the Canada Labour Code covers about 1.3 million employees, roughly 8% of the workforce. | Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, SOR/86-304, s. 10.26(4); amended by SOR/2026-10 | In force | 2027-01-30 |
The radon rules dataset; each row cites its primary source and the date checked.
Provenance
- Source
- 2024 Cross-Canada Radon Survey, Version 1.1 (CCSR.24.1.1); C-NRPP Find a Professional directory, pulled 2026-10-18.
- Method
- Survey figures are reproduced as printed, by reporting unit. Provider counts are businesses whose registry address is in this place with at least one unexpired credential; nothing is typed by hand.
- Date checked
- 2026-10-18
- Next review
- 2026-11-18
Sources
- 1. Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure in the Residential Buildings of Urban and Rural Communities, 2024 Report, Version 1.1 (CCSR.24.1.1), released October 2024, ISSN 2818-8195. Cross-Canada Survey of Radon working group.
- 2. C-NRPP, Find a Professional directory: every province and territory searched for each of the six service types, de-duplicated by the registry's person id. Pulled on 2026-10-18.