Radon Mitigation in Dover Borough, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 4,041 home radon tests on record from the ZIP code that cover Dover Borough (17315). 44.2% came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level, against 52.5% for York County as a whole. That is lower than the county as a whole, but it is still close to half of all tests. A standard system here typically costs $800 to $1,500. The only way to know about one house is to test it.
Dover Borough is a borough in York County with about 1,940 residents and 819 homes, median year built 1974. It is surrounded entirely by Dover Township. The borough was incorporated in 1864. 44.2% 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 Dover Borough
ZIP 17315 covers essentially all of Dover Borough, so these numbers are about as local as public radon data gets.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17315 | 4,041 | 3.3 | 44.2% | 15.7% | 5% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
Half of the story is the median. The other half is the tail: 15.7% of tests here were 10 pCi/L or higher and 5% were 20 or higher. The top reading on record in these ZIP codes is 547 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 Dover Borough and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| Dover Borough | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 819 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1974 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 15.9% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 68.7% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9.9% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 63.6% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 4.2% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 0% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 66.6% | 76.3% |
Most of the housing in Dover Borough went up between the 1940s and the 1970s (68.7% was built before 1980, median year 1974). That era mostly means poured or concrete-block basements. Block walls are hollow, and soil gas can move up through the cores, so a system here sometimes needs block-wall suction alongside the usual sub-slab point.
Cost-wise, most houses in Dover Borough are the standard $800 to $1,500 sub-slab job, with block walls or a second suction point pushing toward $2,500. Full ranges on the cost page.
Where we work in Dover Borough
Public schools here are part of Dover Area School District. The borough was incorporated in 1864.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the borough office at www.doverboroughpa.com.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in Dover Borough?
Yes. PA DEP has 4,041 tests on record from the ZIP code covering Dover Borough, and 44.2% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 5% 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 Township 44.2%, Conewago Township 49.1%, Warrington Township 46%, Washington Township 46.4%, Paradise Township 49.2%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 44.2% here.
Have a test result from Dover Borough?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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