Radon Mitigation in East Prospect, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 1,446 home radon tests on record from the ZIP codes that cover East Prospect (17317, 17368). 55.4% 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.
East Prospect is a borough in York County with about 853 residents and 329 homes, median year built 1964. It is surrounded by Lower Windsor Township. The borough sits on the west bank of the Susquehanna River. 55.4% of PA DEP radon tests in its ZIP codes came back at or above the action level, above the county's 52.5%.
What the PA DEP test records show for East Prospect
ZIP codes don't follow borough lines, so the 2 ZIP codes below also take in some homes just outside East Prospect.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17317 | 95 | 1.7 | 33.7% | 23.2% | 8.4% |
| 17368 | 1,351 | 5.2 | 56.9% | 31.8% | 16.3% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
- ZIP 17317 (about 60% of East Prospect's land): median 1.7 pCi/L across 95 tests, 8.4% at 20 or higher, top reading 76. Basement median 11.3.
- ZIP 17368 (about 40% of East Prospect's land): median 5.2 pCi/L across 1,351 tests, 16.3% at 20 or higher, top reading 1,041. Basement median 7.5, first floor 2.9.
The spread inside East Prospect runs from 33.7% of tests high in 17317 to 56.9% in 17368.
The share that matters most is the 20+ column. 15.8% of tests here came in at 20 pCi/L or more, five times the action level. The single highest reading on record in these ZIP codes is 1,041 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.
Housing in East Prospect and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| East Prospect | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 329 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1964 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 31.3% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 54.1% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22.8% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 57.8% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 38% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 2.4% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 91.3% | 76.3% |
31.3% of the homes in East Prospect were built before 1940, against 18.3% county-wide. Houses that old usually sit on stone or early block foundations with no vapor barrier and plenty of joints, which gives soil gas more ways in. They are still very fixable. The installer just spends more time sealing, and sometimes needs a second suction point, which is why these jobs tend to land toward the upper end of the cost range.
About 38% of homes here are attached: rowhomes, twins and townhouses. A shared wall does not stop radon, and neither does a neighbor's system, so each unit needs its own test. The tricky part is pipe routing, since there is often no side yard to run the vent up. Our rowhome radon guide covers how installers handle it.
Cost-wise, an attached home in East Prospect is usually still a single suction point, so $800 to $1,500 is the normal range, but a long interior pipe run to get above the roof line can push it higher. Full ranges on the cost page.
Where we work in East Prospect
Public schools here are part of Eastern York School District. The borough sits on the west bank of the Susquehanna River.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the borough office at www.eastprospectborough.com.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in East Prospect?
Yes. PA DEP has 1,446 tests on record from the ZIP codes covering East Prospect, and 55.4% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 15.8% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17317?
The median of 95 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17317 is 1.7 pCi/L and the mean is 6.9 pCi/L. A mean that far above the median means a long tail of very high readings, topping out at 76 pCi/L.
Nearby
Wrightsville 56.9%, Lower Windsor Township 55.5%, Hellam Township 53.7%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 55.4% here.
Have a test result from East Prospect?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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