Radon Mitigation in Conewago Township, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 17,245 home radon tests on record from the ZIP codes that cover Conewago Township (17315, 17404, 17406, 17345). 49.1% came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level, against 52.5% for York County as a whole. Roughly in line with York County overall, where about half of all tests come back high. A standard system here typically costs $800 to $1,500. The only way to know about one house is to test it.
Conewago Township is a township in York County with about 8,738 residents and 3,581 homes, median year built 1990. Strinestown is a village within the township. The township was formed in 1818 from parts of Dover and Newberry townships, and its name comes from an Iroquois word meaning "at the place of the rapids." 49.1% of PA DEP radon tests in its ZIP codes came back at or above the action level, below the county's 52.5%.
What the PA DEP test records show for Conewago Township
ZIP codes don't follow township lines, so the 4 ZIP codes below also take in some homes just outside Conewago Township.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17315 | 4,041 | 3.3 | 44.2% | 15.7% | 5% |
| 17404 | 8,196 | 4 | 50.7% | 20.2% | 6.1% |
| 17406 | 4,025 | 4.3 | 52.6% | 27.4% | 14.3% |
| 17345 | 983 | 3.2 | 41% | 14.5% | 4.6% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
- ZIP 17315 (about 42% of Conewago Township's land): median 3.3 pCi/L across 4,041 tests, 5% at 20 or higher, top reading 547. Basement median 3.8, first floor 1.9.
- ZIP 17404 (about 25% of Conewago Township's land): median 4 pCi/L across 8,196 tests, 6.1% at 20 or higher, top reading 534. Basement median 4.6, first floor 1.7.
- ZIP 17406 (about 18% of Conewago Township's land): median 4.3 pCi/L across 4,025 tests, 14.3% at 20 or higher, top reading 410. Basement median 5.3, first floor 1.7.
- ZIP 17345 (about 15% of Conewago Township's land): median 3.2 pCi/L across 983 tests, 4.6% at 20 or higher, top reading 696. Basement median 3.2, first floor 2.2.
The spread inside Conewago Township runs from 41% of tests high in 17345 to 52.6% in 17406.
Half of the story is the median. The other half is the tail: 20.5% of tests here were 10 pCi/L or higher and 7.7% were 20 or higher. The top reading on record in these ZIP codes is 696 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 17315, basement tests have a median of 3.8 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 1.9 pCi/L (532 first-floor tests). The basement number runs 2.0 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 17315
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 346 | 3.1 | 41.6% |
| 2000s | 906 | 3.6 | 45.6% |
| 2010s | 1,937 | 3.5 | 46% |
| 2020s | 824 | 2.8 | 39.3% |
The share peaked in the 2010s at 46% and sits at 39.3% for tests since 2020. That is a small move, well within what you'd expect from a shifting mix of home-sale tests and retests. 824 tests have been logged in 17315 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
Housing in Conewago Township and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| Conewago Township | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 3,581 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1990 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 19.6% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 39.2% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 38.8% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 73.1% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 12.6% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 11.5% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 88.6% | 76.3% |
11.5% of homes in Conewago Township are mobile or manufactured homes, well above the county's 4.1%. Those sit over a crawlspace or skirted pad rather than a basement, and the fix is different: a sealed membrane over the soil with suction under it. See crawlspace radon for what that involves.
38.8% 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.
Cost-wise, a basement house here is the standard $800 to $1,500 job, while a mobile home or crawlspace house usually runs $1,500 to $3,000 because of the membrane work. Full ranges on the cost page.
Where we work in Conewago Township
Public schools here are part of Northeastern York School District. The township was formed in 1818 from parts of Dover and Newberry townships, and its name comes from an Iroquois word meaning "at the place of the rapids."
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the township office at conewagotwp.com.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in Conewago Township?
Yes. PA DEP has 17,245 tests on record from the ZIP codes covering Conewago Township, and 49.1% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 7.7% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17315?
The median of 4,041 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17315 is 3.3 pCi/L and the mean is 6.4 pCi/L. The top reading on record there is 547 pCi/L.
Nearby
Dover Borough 44.2%, Hallam 52.6%, West York 50.7%, Yorkana 52.6%, Manchester Borough 41%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 49.1% here.
Have a test result from Conewago Township?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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