General Questions

Methane soil gas is flammable, colorless, and odorless. Methane has a chemical formula of “CH4,” and is highly explosive. Due to its chemical composition and physical reaction properties, the gas is not detectable by a photo-ionization detector (PID), but rather a flame ionization detector (FID).

Anyone building a new structure or constructing a major addition or renovation that requires methane testing and/or mitigation plans. Please check your city or state Bureau of Engineering or Department of Works website. They will have records to determine whether testing is required.

You can also visit our example test page to help you determine if you will need mitigation planning, soil testing or both.

Depending on the size of the project, property conditions and plans for development, a LADBS Methane Soil Test cost can vary.  A proper methane test price for a standard project can range between $1,800 and $10,000.

Methane testing is usually the prerequisite to the methane mitigation system design. Awareness of the hazards of combustible soil gas rises from a series of explosions in Los Angeles during the 1980s. Consequently, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) implements methane testing and mitigation requirements in these special zones.

The City of Los Angeles has established high-risk boundaries that define “Methane Buffer Zones” and “Methane Zones.” These zones require a methane mitigation system before construction projects begin, unless testing results show otherwise. Similarly, other government agencies apply the same mitigation standards within their respective jurisdictions. The Los Angeles Mitigation requirements can be reviewed in Ordinance No. 175790 and Ordinance No. 180619. The diagram in the section below is a snapshot of the official LA City Methane Zone and Methane Buffer Zone Map. The purple areas represent “Methane Buffer Zones.” And the pink areas represent “Methane Zones.”