Radon Awareness in Ottawa County: Protecting Families in Holland, Zeeland, and Beyond

Kent County gets a lot of attention when the conversation turns to radon risk in West Michigan — and for good reason, as we covered in our post on Kent County radon risks. But just across the county line, Ottawa County presents its own compelling case for why homeowners in this region should take radon seriously. If you live in Holland, Zeeland, Grand Haven, Hudsonville, Jenison, Coopersville, or anywhere else in Ottawa County, this post is for you.

Ottawa County's Radon Profile

Like its neighbor to the east, Ottawa County carries a Zone 1 radon designation from the EPA — the highest risk category, indicating predicted average indoor radon levels above the 4 pCi/L action level. This designation reflects the same underlying geological reality that affects much of West Michigan: soil composition that contains naturally elevated concentrations of uranium-bearing materials, the slow decay of which produces radon gas continuously beneath homes across the region.

Ottawa County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Michigan. New subdivisions, expanding communities, and a steady influx of families relocating to the area mean thousands of homes — both newly built and decades old — sit above this geology every day. Growth does not reduce radon risk. If anything, it means more families who may not yet be aware of the issue are moving into homes that have never been tested.

The Lakeshore Factor

Ottawa County's western edge runs along Lake Michigan, and the communities along that shoreline — Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Ferrysburg — have a housing character distinctly different from inland areas. Many lakeshore properties are older cottages and year-round homes that were originally built as seasonal retreats and later converted to permanent residences.

These properties often have older foundations, crawlspaces, or partial basements that were never designed with airtightness in mind. The very features that give lakeshore homes their charm — older construction, character-filled bones, proximity to the natural environment — are also the features that can make radon entry more likely. Owners of these properties who have never tested are carrying an unknown risk worth addressing.

Seasonal use patterns add another layer. A home that sits closed up through the winter while owners are away can accumulate significant radon levels that go undetected simply because no one is there to notice any symptoms — not that symptoms would appear in any obvious way. When families return in spring, they are walking back into air that has been building radon concentrations for months.

Inland Ottawa County: Hudsonville, Jenison, Zeeland, and Beyond

Inland Ottawa County is defined by its strong community identity, its dense concentration of well-maintained single-family homes, and neighborhoods where families put down roots for generations. It is also an area where the combination of Zone 1 geology and a housing stock that spans the full range from post-war construction to brand-new builds creates a wide range of radon exposure scenarios.

Hudsonville and Jenison in particular have seen significant residential development over the past two decades. Many of these newer homes were built to modern standards but without radon-resistant construction techniques, which are not currently required by Michigan building code. A home being new does not mean its radon levels are low — it means they are unknown until tested.

Zeeland and the communities surrounding it tend to have older housing mixed with newer development. In areas like these, neighboring homes can test at dramatically different levels depending on the specific soil conditions directly beneath each foundation, the construction details of each home, and how well sealed the lowest level of the home happens to be. There is no reliable way to estimate your home's radon level based on what your neighbor's test showed. Every home needs its own test.

Holland: A City Worth Highlighting

Holland deserves specific mention not just because of its size and prominence in Ottawa County, but because of the diversity of its housing stock. Downtown and near-downtown Holland has some of the oldest residential construction in West Michigan — homes with stone foundations, brick construction, and basement characteristics that predate any modern understanding of radon. These homes have had decades to develop the foundation cracks and construction gaps that serve as radon entry points.

At the same time, Holland's surrounding townships have seen substantial newer construction. The contrast between a 1920s home near downtown and a 2015 build in a Holland Township subdivision illustrates why blanket assumptions about radon risk based on neighborhood age are unreliable. Both can have elevated levels. Neither is automatically safe.

What Ottawa County Homeowners Should Do

If your home in Ottawa County has never been tested for radon, or if it has been more than two years since your last test, scheduling a professional test is the straightforward next step. Testing is non-invasive, does not require you to leave your home, and gives you a clear and accurate picture of your actual radon levels.

If results come back at or above 4 pCi/L, mitigation is the solution — and it is more straightforward than most homeowners expect. A properly installed system addresses the underlying cause of radon entry rather than simply trying to seal individual cracks, and it works effectively in the vast majority of homes regardless of age or construction type.

At All Michigan Mitigation, we serve homeowners across Ottawa County and throughout West Michigan. Radon testing and mitigation is everything we do, and we bring that focused expertise to every home we work in — whether it is a lakeshore cottage in Grand Haven, a mid-century ranch in Hudsonville, or a newer build in Holland Township.

Visit us at allmichiganmitigation.com to schedule your test or ask us any questions about what the process involves.

All Michigan Mitigation is a West Michigan radon testing and mitigation company dedicated exclusively to helping homeowners understand and eliminate radon risk in their homes.