- Official section
- Illinois IV.E.1: Radon
- Broker weight
- Part of 25% of the Illinois state portion
- Expected scored items
- The current PSI broker outline assigns 10 of 40 state items to Disclosures
Illinois radon exam guide
Illinois radon disclosure for sales and rentals
Illinois radon questions have two timelines. A covered seller gives the buyer a sale pamphlet and form before contract obligation. A lessor gives a different tenant package and then follows a 90-day testing sequence. Keep those tracks separate, and the numbers stop feeling random.
Last updated: August 1, 2026
What does current Illinois authority require?
Short answer: For a covered Illinois residential sale, the seller gives the buyer the IEMA-OHS approved real-estate pamphlet, statutory radon form, and possessed information about elevated results before the buyer is obligated. Post-offer disclosure must occur before acceptance. For a covered lease, the lessor gives the tenant pamphlet, tenant form, and hazard records at application, before lease, or on request. The tenant's initial test period is 90 days, results go to the lessor within 10 days, a lessor retest may occur within 30 days, and the noncompliance path can lead to a 60-day tenant election. Disclosure is not a universal test or mitigation mandate.
This guide applies the Illinois Radon Awareness Act as amended by Public Act 103-298, effective January 1, 2024, and current IEMA-OHS materials through August 1, 2026. It covers the exam's disclosure rules, not advice about testing protocol, lease termination, mitigation design, or a particular property's health risk.
Where is this tested on the Illinois outline?
- Topic
- Radon vocabulary
- What to know
- Radon, gaseous radioactive decay product, uranium, thorium, indoor concentration, picocuries per liter, pCi/L, radon hazard, recommended Radon Action Level, 4.0 pCi/L, radon test, mitigation, radon contractor, measurement, and certification
- Best exam move
- Recognize that the disclosure rule communicates risk and known data; it does not turn a broker into a scientist.
- Topic
- Covered residential sale
- What to know
- Seller, buyer, consideration, estate or interest, residential real property, manufactured housing lot, parcel, one dwelling unit, two units, three units, four units, condominium, cooperative, mobile home, mixed use, and transfer by sale
- Best exam move
- Confirm one to four residential dwelling units and the nature of the transfer before applying the sale package.
- Topic
- Sale disclosure package
- What to know
- Radon Testing Guidelines for Real Estate Transactions, IEMA-OHS approved pamphlet, Illinois Disclosure of Information on Radon Hazards, warning statement, known elevated concentration, current records and reports, no knowledge, mitigated or remediated, no records, purchaser acknowledgment, agent acknowledgment, certification, and signatures
- Best exam move
- Count the pamphlet, form, and applicable records rather than treating a single checkbox as complete compliance.
- Topic
- Sale timing
- What to know
- Before buyer obligated, purchase contract, buyer offer, seller acceptance, disclosure after offer, opportunity to review, possible amendment, receipt, final settlement, closing, and transaction file
- Best exam move
- If an offer already exists, stop before acceptance, deliver the package, and let the buyer review and possibly amend.
- Topic
- Sale form statements
- What to know
- Known elevated concentrations, explanation, most current records, no knowledge, prior elevated concentrations mitigated or remediated, no reports, buyer received information, buyer received pamphlet, agent informed seller, best of knowledge, true, accurate, initials, and dates
- Best exam move
- Read each initial line independently because no knowledge and no records are different assertions.
- Topic
- No universal sale testing duty
- What to know
- Disclosure obligation, testing recommendation, buyer inspection, seller test, seller mitigation, contract contingency, licensed measurement, licensed mitigation, known report, no report, recommendation, and legal mandate
- Best exam move
- Separate what IEMA-OHS recommends from what Section 10 legally requires of the seller.
- Topic
- Section 20 exclusions
- What to know
- Court order, probate, dissolution, bankruptcy trustee, eminent domain, specific performance, deed in lieu, foreclosure, collateral assignment, fiduciary administration, co-owner, testate succession, intestate succession, spouse, lineal family, relocation entity, government, and third story or higher
- Best exam move
- Match an exemption to exact facts instead of assuming that every residential transfer is covered.
- Topic
- Covered lease and tenant package
- What to know
- Dwelling unit, mobile home, single-family residence, multiple-family unit, mixed-use unit, oral lease, written lease, lessor, tenant, application, before lease, request during tenancy, Radon Guide for Tenants, hazard reports, tenant disclosure form, and acknowledgment
- Best exam move
- Use the current Section 26 package for leases beginning on or after January 1, 2024.
- Topic
- Initial 90-day tenant path
- What to know
- Commencement, agreed leasing period, 90 days, tenant's own test, licensed testing, result, records, 10 days after receipt, notice to lessor, action level, lessor election, mitigation, lease termination, and later testing
- Best exam move
- Start the 90 days at commencement of the agreed leasing period and start the tenant's 10 days when the tenant receives the test result.
- Topic
- Lessor retest and result validity
- What to know
- Tenant notice, radon hazard, lessor option, lessor expense, radon contractor, additional test, 30 days, disprove, measurement, two-year validity, renovation, addition, modification, and building
- Best exam move
- Give the lessor the statutory retest option and remember that later building changes can end the result's two-year validity.
- Topic
- Missing-document tenant path
- What to know
- Lessor failure, required documents, any point during term, tenant test, hazard result, 10-day result delivery, lessor dispute, 30-day contractor retest, decline to dispute, no mitigation, 60 days, tenant mitigation, express consent, tenant expense, and termination
- Best exam move
- Use this separate remedial timeline when the lessor did not provide the Section 26(a) package.
- Topic
- Mitigation and rent deduction
- What to know
- Lessor decision, tenant decision, licensed radon contractor, express lessor consent, installation cost, rent deduction, equal parts, remainder of leasing period, security deposit, improper installation, no consent, itemized statement, and vacated unit
- Best exam move
- A tenant cannot install first and seek permission later; express consent and a licensed contractor are central.
- Topic
- General seller report overlap
- What to know
- Residential Real Property Disclosure Report, unsafe concentration, awareness, premises, actual knowledge, explanation, no special inquiry, material defect, separate form, separate timing, inspection, and supplement
- Best exam move
- Complete the applicable seller report but do not use it as a substitute for the Radon Awareness Act package.
- Topic
- Broker role and file
- What to know
- Inform seller, agent acknowledgment, accurate transmission, actual knowledge, latent material adverse physical fact, buyer customer, tenant customer, client instruction, licensed tester, licensed mitigator, attorney, property manager, delivery proof, and records
- Best exam move
- Explain the process, preserve the evidence, disclose actually known facts as required, and refer interpretation or mitigation to qualified people.
The RADON timeline
- Route the transaction. Decide whether the facts involve a sale or a lease before choosing documents.
- Assess coverage. Check residential property, unit count, consideration, lease date, floor level, and every Section 20 exclusion.
- Deliver the package. Match the correct pamphlet and form, attach known hazard records, and collect accurate acknowledgments.
- Order the events. In a sale, deliver before buyer obligation; in a lease, separate document delivery from the 90-day testing start.
- Note each number. Tenant result delivery is 10 days, a lessor retest can use 30 days, results can last two years absent building changes, and one remedial election uses 60 days.
- Narrow the broker's role. Inform, transmit, document, disclose as required, and refer scientific, mitigation, or legal conclusions.
- Event
- Covered home sale
- Required or permitted action
- Seller provides sale pamphlet, form, and applicable records
- Exam anchor
- Before buyer is obligated
- Event
- Buyer already made offer
- Required or permitted action
- Complete disclosure and permit review or amendment
- Exam anchor
- Before seller accepts
- Event
- Prospective tenant
- Required or permitted action
- Lessor provides tenant pamphlet, form, and hazard records
- Exam anchor
- At application or before lease
- Event
- Current tenant requests
- Required or permitted action
- Lessor provides tenant package
- Exam anchor
- During leasing period upon request
- Event
- Agreed leasing period starts
- Required or permitted action
- Tenant may conduct own test
- Exam anchor
- Initial 90 days
- Event
- Tenant receives result
- Required or permitted action
- Tenant gives copies to lessor
- Exam anchor
- Within 10 days
- Event
- Lessor disputes hazard result
- Required or permitted action
- Lessor may hire licensed contractor for another test
- Exam anchor
- Within 30 days after notice
- Event
- Test remains unchanged
- Required or permitted action
- Result generally remains valid
- Exam anchor
- Two years unless specified building change
- Event
- Missing-document path matures
- Required or permitted action
- Tenant may mitigate with consent or terminate
- Exam anchor
- Within 60 days after statutory response conditions
Which Illinois distinctions matter most?
- Terms
- Sale pamphlet vs. tenant pamphlet
- Difference
- A covered buyer receives Radon Testing Guidelines for Real Estate Transactions. A covered tenant receives the Radon Guide for Tenants.
- Question cue
- Buyer document versus tenant document.
- Terms
- Sale form vs. tenant form
- Difference
- The Illinois Disclosure of Information on Radon Hazards serves sales. The Disclosure of Information on Radon Hazards to Tenants serves leases and uses tenant-specific acknowledgments.
- Question cue
- Transaction-specific statutory form.
- Terms
- Before obligation vs. at lease commencement
- Difference
- Sale documents arrive before the buyer is obligated. The tenant package arrives at application, before lease, or on request, while the 90-day test period begins at commencement of the agreed leasing period.
- Question cue
- Document timing versus test-window start.
- Terms
- Known elevated result vs. no test
- Difference
- A known elevated result and related records must be handled truthfully. No existing test means there may be no result to provide, but it does not erase the required pamphlet and form.
- Question cue
- No data versus no disclosure package.
- Terms
- No knowledge vs. no records
- Difference
- No knowledge addresses what the seller knows about elevated concentrations. No records addresses whether the seller has reports. The statutory sale form presents them as separate initial lines.
- Question cue
- Mental state versus document possession.
- Terms
- Disclosure vs. testing
- Difference
- Disclosure sends warnings and known information. Testing measures indoor concentration under applicable professional rules.
- Question cue
- Information process versus measurement process.
- Terms
- Testing vs. mitigation
- Difference
- Testing determines concentration. Mitigation uses measures designed to permanently reduce indoor concentrations and must be performed by a licensed radon contractor when the Act's mitigation provisions apply.
- Question cue
- Measure versus reduce.
- Terms
- First 90 days vs. later tenant test
- Difference
- The statute gives a defined termination route for a qualifying initial-period test. A tenant may test later, but the late test alone does not create that same Section 26(b) termination right, subject to other law and the missing-document path.
- Question cue
- Statutory window versus later permission.
- Terms
- Tenant result deadline vs. lessor retest deadline
- Difference
- The tenant provides results within 10 days after receiving them. The lessor's contractor retest option generally uses 30 days after notice.
- Question cue
- 10 to transmit, 30 to retest.
- Terms
- Two-year validity vs. building change
- Difference
- A test result may be valid for two years, but renovations, additions, or modifications identified by the Act can end that validity earlier.
- Question cue
- Clock plus change condition.
- Terms
- Recommended test vs. legally compelled test
- Difference
- The state strongly recommends testing, but Sections 10 and 26 say their provisions do not create a universal testing or mitigation obligation for the stated parties.
- Question cue
- Public-health recommendation versus transaction mandate.
- Terms
- Owner disclosure vs. broker diagnosis
- Difference
- The seller or lessor supplies the statutory statements and records. A broker handles process and known facts but does not interpret health risk or certify mitigation performance.
- Question cue
- Transaction role versus technical role.
How does the Illinois rule apply?
Offer arrives before the radon packet
Scenario: A buyer emails a signed offer for a two-unit building. The seller has not yet provided the Illinois radon form or pamphlet and wants to accept immediately.
- The one-to-four-unit property fits the sale definition unless an exclusion applies.
- Because the buyer already made an offer, Section 10 directs disclosure before acceptance and gives the buyer a chance to review and possibly amend.
Answer: The seller should complete the radon disclosure process before accepting the offer, not save it for closing.
No radon test exists
Scenario: A seller of a covered single-family home has never tested for radon and has no records. The seller thinks that makes the Act inapplicable.
- Coverage comes from the transaction and property, not from the existence of a test.
- The seller accurately completes the form, provides the approved pamphlet, and states the knowledge and records position without inventing a result.
Answer: Deliver the required package. The Act does not force a seller test, but no test is not an exemption from disclosure.
Tenant tests on day 45
Scenario: A tenant tests during the first 90 days, receives a result above 4.0 pCi/L, and waits 18 days before sending it to the lessor.
- The test falls within the initial statutory window.
- The tenant was required to provide copies within 10 days after receiving the result, so the delayed delivery misses that stated step.
Answer: Do not ignore the 10-day result-delivery requirement when analyzing the tenant's statutory options.
Lessor orders a confirmation test
Scenario: A tenant timely reports an elevated result. Twelve days later, the lessor hires a licensed radon contractor to conduct another measurement.
- The Act permits the lessor to obtain an additional test through a radon contractor.
- Twelve days is inside the 30-day period measured from the tenant's notice.
Answer: The retest is a permitted response and its measurement may be used to disprove the claimed hazard.
A third-story condominium is transferred
Scenario: The unit is on the third story above ground level in a condominium building. The exam asks whether the Radon Awareness Act's transfer provisions apply.
- Section 20 specifically excludes a residential dwelling unit on the third story or higher above ground level.
- The exclusion expressly includes condominium and cooperative units.
Answer: Apply the stated third-story exclusion, while keeping any separate contract or disclosure duties outside this Act distinct.
Tenant wants to install mitigation
Scenario: After the missing-document process and an undisputed hazard, the tenant wants to hire a licensed contractor and deduct the cost from rent without speaking to the lessor.
- Section 26 allows the tenant-mitigation election at the tenant's expense within its remedial path.
- Section 30 also requires the lessor's express consent before tenant mitigation and spreads the deduction evenly across the remaining leasing period.
Answer: The tenant needs express lessor consent and a licensed radon contractor before installing the system.
Where do candidates misread the Illinois rule?
- Trap
- The Illinois seller report is the radon disclosure form.
- Correction
- The report's radon item and the Radon Awareness Act's pamphlet and form are separate layers.
- Trap
- No existing test means no disclosure package.
- Correction
- The transaction trigger can require the pamphlet and form even when the seller has no test or records.
- Trap
- Every seller must test and mitigate before sale.
- Correction
- Section 10 expressly says its disclosure provision does not itself impose those duties.
- Trap
- Radon materials can wait until closing.
- Correction
- A covered buyer receives them before becoming obligated under a purchase contract.
- Trap
- A seller may accept first because the buyer already submitted an offer.
- Correction
- Post-offer disclosure must be completed before acceptance with an opportunity for buyer review and possible amendment.
- Trap
- No knowledge and no records mean the same thing.
- Correction
- One addresses awareness of elevated concentrations and the other addresses possession of reports.
- Trap
- Every condominium unit is covered regardless of floor.
- Correction
- Section 20 excludes dwelling units on the third story or higher above ground level.
- Trap
- The older tenant rule is still in Section 25.
- Correction
- Section 25 was repealed, and current tenant rights and documents appear in Section 26 beginning in 2024.
- Trap
- The tenant's 90 days start when the application is submitted.
- Correction
- The statute starts the test period at commencement of the agreed leasing period.
- Trap
- A tenant may keep an elevated result private and still use the statutory path.
- Correction
- The tenant gives the lessor copies within 10 days after receiving the result.
- Trap
- A lessor has no right to confirm an elevated tenant result.
- Correction
- The lessor may hire a radon contractor for another test within 30 days after notice.
- Trap
- Every old radon result stays valid forever.
- Correction
- The Act uses two years and recognizes renovations, additions, or modifications that can end validity sooner.
- Trap
- A tenant may install any mitigation system without permission.
- Correction
- Tenant mitigation requires express lessor consent and a licensed radon contractor.
- Trap
- The broker may interpret the lab result and guarantee safety.
- Correction
- The broker communicates the record and uses qualified testers, mitigators, attorneys, or other professionals for conclusions.
Can you apply the rule to a fresh scenario?
These questions are original study items aligned to the published outline. They are not copied, recalled, or predicted PSI questions.
1. When must a seller provide the Illinois radon sale package for a covered home?
- Only after final settlement
- Before the buyer is obligated under a purchase contract
- Within 90 days after closing
- Only when a test exceeds 4.0 pCi/L
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
Section 10 ties the pamphlet and form to the time before buyer contract obligation, whether or not an elevated test already exists.
2. A buyer has submitted an offer but has not received the radon disclosure. What should the seller do?
- Accept and deliver the form at closing
- Reject every offer permanently
- Complete disclosure before acceptance and allow review and possible amendment
- Require the buyer to waive all radon rights orally
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The Act expressly addresses post-offer disclosure by moving completion before seller acceptance and preserving buyer review.
3. At the start of a covered Illinois lease, how long does the tenant have under Section 26(b) to conduct the tenant's own radon test?
- 10 days
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
The initial tenant testing period is 90 days from commencement of the agreed leasing period.
4. After receiving a tenant's notice of an elevated result, what may the lessor do within 30 days?
- Erase the tenant's test record
- Hire a radon contractor to perform an additional test
- Force the broker to design a mitigation system
- Keep the security deposit automatically
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
Section 26 gives the lessor a 30-day contractor-retest option, and that measurement may disprove the hazard.
5. Which Illinois transfer is within a stated Radon Awareness Act exclusion?
- Ordinary sale of a two-story single-family home
- Sale of a four-unit residential property
- Transfer of a condominium unit on the third story above ground level
- Sale of a manufactured housing lot
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
Section 20 excludes transfers of residential dwelling units on the third story or higher, including condominium and cooperative units.
How should you review this Illinois topic?
- Session
- 1. Split sale and lease
- Focus
- Seller, buyer, lessor, tenant, residential real property, dwelling unit, consideration, offer, acceptance, application, and commencement
- Proof you are ready
- Classify 20 radon scenarios into the sale lane, tenant lane, exclusion, or insufficient facts.
- Session
- 2. Learn both packages
- Focus
- Sale pamphlet, tenant pamphlet, sale form, tenant form, known results, current records, hazard reports, initials, acknowledgments, and certifications
- Proof you are ready
- Build each package from memory without borrowing a document from the other transaction.
- Session
- 3. Master sale timing
- Focus
- Before buyer obligation, buyer offer, seller acceptance, review, possible amendment, closing, and delivery proof
- Proof you are ready
- Resolve 15 offer-and-acceptance sequences and identify the last compliant disclosure point.
- Session
- 4. Master tenant numbers
- Focus
- 90-day testing period, 10-day result delivery, 30-day lessor retest, two-year validity, 60-day remedial election, and building changes
- Proof you are ready
- Write every number, triggering event, responsible party, and permitted response from memory.
- Session
- 5. Apply exclusions and roles
- Focus
- Nine exclusion groups, third story, seller, lessor, agent, licensed radon contractor, property manager, attorney, and IEMA-OHS
- Proof you are ready
- Explain 20 coverage and role problems without making the broker a tester or legal decision-maker.
- Session
- 6. Use RADON
- Focus
- Route, assess, deliver, order, note numbers, and narrow broker role
- Proof you are ready
- Score at least 90% on a new Illinois radon set and defend each answer in timeline order.
Do not count recognition as mastery. Close the notes and explain the rule, apply it to a new fact pattern, and identify why each distractor fails.
Practice the Illinois rule in context
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Questions students ask about Illinois Radon Disclosure
What radon documents must an Illinois home seller provide?
For a covered sale, the seller provides the IEMA-OHS approved Radon Testing Guidelines for Real Estate Transactions pamphlet and the Illinois Disclosure of Information on Radon Hazards. The seller also provides information in the seller's possession about test results showing elevated radon and the most current related records and reports identified on the form.
When must the Illinois radon disclosure be delivered in a sale?
The buyer must receive the required radon materials before becoming obligated under a purchase contract. If disclosure occurs after the buyer has made an offer, the seller completes the disclosure before accepting that offer and allows the buyer to review the information and possibly amend the offer.
Must every Illinois seller test or mitigate for radon?
No. Section 10 states that its disclosure requirement does not itself obligate the seller to conduct radon testing or mitigation. The seller must still disclose known elevated results and provide the required pamphlet, form, and possessed records in a covered transaction.
Which sales does the Illinois Radon Awareness Act generally cover?
The sale provision concerns a seller's transfer for consideration of an interest in residential real property improved with one to four dwelling units or an interest in a manufactured housing lot. Section 20 lists exclusions, including certain court, foreclosure, fiduciary, co-owner, family, relocation, government, and third-story-or-higher transfers.
What must an Illinois lessor give a prospective tenant about radon?
At application, before the lease, or upon request during the tenancy, the lessor provides the IEMA-OHS Radon Guide for Tenants, qualifying records or reports that indicate a radon hazard in the dwelling unit, and the statutory Disclosure of Information on Radon Hazards to Tenants form.
How long does an Illinois tenant have to test for radon?
At the start of the agreed leasing period, the tenant has 90 days to conduct the tenant's own radon test under Section 26. If the tenant tests, the tenant gives the lessor copies of the result and related records within 10 days after receiving the result.
Can an Illinois lessor retest after a tenant finds a radon hazard?
Yes. When a test during the statutory path indicates a radon hazard, the lessor may hire a licensed radon contractor to conduct another test within 30 days after the tenant gives notice. The contractor's measurement may be used to disprove the hazard.
Can an Illinois tenant terminate a lease because of radon?
Section 26 provides termination paths tied to the statutory testing process and the lessor's response. Timing matters. A test in the initial 90-day period can support termination if it exceeds the action level and the lessor elects not to mitigate. If the lessor failed to provide the required documents, the tenant may test during the term and, after the specified notice, dispute, and mitigation sequence, may terminate within 60 days.
What is the Illinois radon action level?
The current statutory tenant form identifies 4.0 picocuries per liter, written as 4.0 pCi/L, as the IEMA recommended Radon Action Level. A broker may communicate the number but should not interpret a test, design mitigation, or guarantee that a property is safe.
Are these official PSI Illinois broker exam questions?
No. They are original questions aligned to the Illinois broker outline effective June 24, 2026. The Illinois Radon Awareness Act and IEMA-OHS materials were reviewed through August 1, 2026.
Primary sources
- PSI Illinois Candidate Information Booklet dated June 24, 2026
- 420 ILCS 46, current Illinois Radon Awareness Act
- IEMA-OHS radon and real estate forms and approved pamphlet guidance
- 420 ILCS 44, Radon Industry Licensing Act
- 32 Illinois Administrative Code Part 422, radon professional rules
- 765 ILCS 77/35, Residential Real Property Disclosure Report
- 225 ILCS 454/15-25, licensee duties to customers
The current official outline controls the tested scope. Statutes, regulations, and official agency materials control when a general study rule and a jurisdiction-specific rule differ.
Editorial status
Checked against primary sources
The Pass Illinois editorial team last checked this guide on August 1, 2026. Every practice question is an original study item, and the source links above let you verify the rules that support the lesson.