Blaine sits in the heart of the Anoka Sand Plain, on some of Minnesota's most radon-permeable soil. Local tests trend high — the median Blaine result is well above the EPA action level. Here's the data and how to know your own number.
Sources: Minnesota Department of Health Radon Program (ZIP-level), Dr. Dan Steck's MN Radon Project. Our methodology.
Blaine sits squarely on the Anoka Sand Plain — a band of permeable, well-drained outwash deposits left when glacial meltwater rivers spread sand across this corner of Minnesota at the end of the last ice age. Sand transmits soil gas exceptionally well. That's normally a virtue (good drainage, easy basement excavation) but for radon it's the worst possible condition: any radon produced in the underlying bedrock has a clear, unobstructed path into the homes above.
Underneath the sand, the bedrock is primarily Prairie du Chien dolomite and St. Peter sandstone — both contain trace uranium, which decays into radium and then radon over geologic time. The radon migrates up through the sand and accumulates in any enclosed space it finds.
Blaine's housing stock makes that worse. The city's growth surge in the 1970s-2000s produced thousands of homes with full basements, many of them finished, and many built before modern radon-resistant new construction (RRNC) techniques became standard. A finished basement on the Anoka Sand Plain is, statistically, where radon goes to live.
Older homes generally have more radon entry points: cracks in slabs, gaps around plumbing penetrations, unsealed sump pits, block-wall foundations. Newer homes built under RRNC code have passive (and sometimes active) radon barriers built in. Here's how Blaine's housing stock breaks down.
The plurality of Blaine homes were built in the 1980s and 1990s — old enough to predate radon-resistant construction standards (broadly adopted post-2000) but new enough to have full basements with significant below-grade living space. This is the highest-risk age cohort for indoor radon accumulation.
Distribution of radon test results in Blaine ZIPs 55434, 55449, and 55014, drawn from the MDH cumulative dataset and Dr. Dan Steck's project. Each bar represents the share of homes in that pCi/L range.
Two-thirds of Blaine tests land above the EPA action level. Roughly 1 in 5 tests above 10 pCi/L — the threshold at which the EPA recommends prompt mitigation. The right tail is real and meaningful.
Transparent pricing. A continuous monitor, a sit-down with Hunter, and a personal results delivery — all in.
Same price across all of Anoka County. No travel surcharges.
On average, yes. Blaine's median test result is meaningfully higher than the Twin Cities metro median — driven by the Anoka Sand Plain geology and the high share of finished basements. Your home's individual result, however, depends on your specific foundation, ventilation, and basement use.
Yes. Even if your home was built with a passive radon barrier under RRNC code, those systems can fail, can be inadequate for the local soil conditions, or may not have been installed to spec. Testing is the only way to verify the system works.
Yes — Minnesota state law requires sellers to disclose radon test results and dates. There's no Blaine-specific ordinance, but given the local test profile, buyers and inspectors will likely request a current test if one isn't on file.
All of them — 55434, 55449, and parts of 55014. Hunter's House Radon serves all of Anoka County without travel surcharges.
Without disclosing addresses: we've seen finished-basement bedrooms test above 20 pCi/L in Blaine — roughly five times the EPA action level. Those situations are uncommon but real, and they're exactly why a 48-hour continuous test is worth doing.
Looking at radon in a neighboring suburb? Here are the closest cities to Blaine.