Radon Mitigation in Carroll Township, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 5,858 home radon tests on record from the ZIP code that cover Carroll Township (17019). 47.4% came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level, against 52.5% for York County as a whole. Lower than York County overall, yet still more than four tests in ten. A standard system here typically costs $800 to $1,500. The only way to know about one house is to test it.
Carroll Township surrounds Dillsburg in the northwest corner of the county. It has some of the newest housing on this list, with a median build year of 1993 and 88% single-family detached homes. Its ZIP code, 17019, has almost 5,900 PA DEP tests on record, one of the larger totals in the county, and 47% came back at or above the action level.
What the PA DEP test records show for Carroll Township
ZIP 17019 covers essentially all of Carroll Township, so these numbers are about as local as public radon data gets.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17019 | 5,858 | 3.6 | 47.4% | 20.1% | 6.9% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
Look past the median to the high end. One test in 14 here came in at 20 pCi/L or more, five times the action level, and the highest reading on record is 228 pCi/L. Neighboring houses can differ by a factor of ten, so none of this tells you what your house is. It tells you the odds are high enough that a $15 to $30 test kit is worth buying.
Tests people chose to run, not a random survey. Details on the York County radon levels page.
Basement readings versus first-floor readings
In ZIP 17019, basement tests have a median of 4 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 1.8 pCi/L (614 first-floor tests). The basement number runs 2.2 times the first-floor number, which is the usual pattern: radon comes up from the soil, so it is strongest at the lowest level and gets diluted as it moves up through the house.
Radon results by decade in ZIP 17019
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 674 | 4 | 50.4% |
| 2000s | 1,285 | 4.4 | 54.1% |
| 2010s | 2,631 | 3.5 | 46.4% |
| 2020s | 1,234 | 3 | 41% |
The share peaked in the 2000s at 54.1% and sits at 41% for tests since 2020. A drop that size is mostly about who is testing, not the ground. More recent tests come from home sales and from retests after a system went in, and both pull the share down. The rock under Carroll Township has not changed. 1,234 tests have been logged in 17019 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
The ground under Carroll Township
Carroll sits in the Gettysburg-Newark Lowland, on Triassic sedimentary rock cut through by diabase. It has an unusual geological history: the Dillsburg magnetite deposits formed where iron ore replaced limestone-conglomerate beds next to diabase intrusions, and they were mined here for about 60 years starting around 1855 (USGS Bulletin 969-A).
The northern Triassic belt tests lower than southern York County as a group. In 17019, 7% of tests reached 20 pCi/L or more, about half the county's rate.
Housing in Carroll Township and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| Carroll Township | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 2,593 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1993 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 4.4% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 34.1% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 35.9% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 88% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 3% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 0.5% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 86.2% | 76.3% |
35.9% of the homes here were built in 2000 or later, one of the higher shares in the county. New construction is not radon-proof. A tight modern house can hold radon in as well as it holds heat in. Some builders rough in a passive vent pipe during construction, which makes a later active system cheaper, so check for a capped pipe in the basement. More on that in radon in new construction.
88% of homes in Carroll Township are single-family detached. A detached house with a basement is the easiest layout to mitigate: one suction point through the slab, a fan outside or in the garage, and a vent above the roof line. It is the standard sub-slab depressurization job covered step by step on our mitigation process page, and it usually lands in the middle of the cost range.
Cost-wise, a newer house with a passive pipe already roughed in can come in under the usual $800 to $1,500, since the installer mostly adds a fan and a gauge. Full ranges on the cost page.
Where we work in Carroll Township
That covers the area around Dillsburg. U.S. 15 and Route 74 run through the township. Public schools here are part of the Northern York County School District. The township was incorporated in 1831.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the township office at www.carrolltownship.com.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in Carroll Township?
Yes. PA DEP has 5,858 tests on record from the ZIP code covering Carroll Township, and 47.4% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 6.9% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17019?
The median of 5,858 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17019 is 3.6 pCi/L and the mean is 7.2 pCi/L. The top reading on record there is 228 pCi/L.
Nearby
Fairview Township 43.4%, Dover Township 44.2%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 47.4% here.
Have a test result from Carroll Township?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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