LibreWhat Should a Radon Mitigation Contractor Document?
A photograph doesn't replace every required record. It makes most of them far more useful.
One job, several kinds of record
"Documentation" on a mitigation job isn't one thing. There's the paperwork that says what you were hired to do, the evidence of what you built, the measurements before and after, the information you leave with the owner, the quality-control trail your company keeps, and whatever your state asks for on top. They get created at different moments by different people, which is how they end up in different places. Sorting them out is the first step to keeping them together.
The records behind a mitigation system
Job documentation
Who, where, when, and the scope you agreed to. The record everything else hangs from.
Installation evidence
What was actually built: suction point, sealing, routing, fan, monitor, labels, discharge. Best captured while the work is open.
Test results
The measurement that prompted the job and the post-mitigation result that shows whether the system is doing its work.
Diagrams and system descriptions
A floor-plan sketch or drawing of where components sit and how the pipe runs. Some state standards require one.
Owner information
What the system is, how to read the monitor, what to do if it stops, when to retest. The national standard calls for an information package left with the system.
QA/QC and state records
Your company's own quality-control trail, plus anything your licensing state requires you to keep and produce on request.
Where photographs fit
A diagram shows where a pipe was meant to run. A photograph shows how it looked when you finished. A startup number can be typed into a form; a photograph of the monitor shows what the device displayed. A description can say where the discharge is; a photograph shows what's around it. None of that makes a photo a substitute for the diagram, the form, or the description. It makes each of them easier to trust. The current national standard, ANSI/AARST SGM-SF-2023, lists photographs alongside tracking forms, logs, and diagrams as ways a contractor can retain jobsite quality-control records. The radon mitigation photo checklist turns that into a repeatable set of shots.
Rules differ by state — three examples
In the United States there is no single rulebook. EPA lists 20 states that run their own credentialing programs for radon service providers (as of August 2026); elsewhere, professionals are typically credentialed through a national proficiency program. Among the states that regulate, the approaches differ. Ohio licenses mitigation specialists through its Department of Health and publishes its own mitigation standard, with its own requirements for labels, a system monitor, a client information package, and a floor-plan sketch. Pennsylvania writes system, label, and documentation requirements directly into its environmental regulations. Minnesota takes a third route: its rules adopt the ANSI/AARST standard by reference and add a state system tag and a post-mitigation checklist. So the honest answer to "what do I have to document?" starts with "where are you working?" The same split shows up in how long records must be kept and in where a system may discharge.
Documentation is not the same thing as compliance
LibreCam doesn't issue radon licenses, certify installations, or tell you whether a system meets a standard. It doesn't replace the ANSI/AARST standards, your state's requirements, local building, electrical, or mechanical codes, or the judgment of the qualified mitigation professional. It makes the work easier to document: build your checklist around the rules you work under, and every technician captures that set on every job. You can see how that runs in the field on the radon mitigation page.
Official sources
Read the rules themselves before relying on any summary, including this one. EPA — state radon contacts and state-run credentialing programs · EPA — finding a qualified radon professional · ANSI/AARST SGM-SF-2023 · Ohio Administrative Code 3701-69-08 · 25 Pa. Code § 240.308 · Minnesota Rules 4620.7500. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and can change. LibreCam helps professionals document work; it does not certify code or standards compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
No single federal rule sets it. Requirements come from the state where you work, where the state regulates radon, and from the professional standards that apply to you, such as ANSI/AARST SGM-SF.
We haven't found a state that requires contractors to photograph every system. The national standard recognizes photographs as one valid way to keep quality-control records, and some state rules allow regulators to photograph a site during an inspection. Check the requirements that apply to you.
Yes. Build a checklist for each set of rules you work under and pick the right one on the job. Each item can require a photo before it's marked complete.