Radon Mitigation in Heidelberg Township, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 14,823 home radon tests on record from the ZIP codes that cover Heidelberg Township (17331, 17362). 49.4% 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.
Heidelberg Township is a township in York County with about 3,054 residents and 1,198 homes, median year built 1978. It covers the countryside east of Hanover. Bair's Mennonite Meetinghouse is in the township. 49.4% 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 Heidelberg Township
ZIP codes don't follow township lines, so the 2 ZIP codes below also take in some homes just outside Heidelberg Township.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17331 | 11,820 | 3.6 | 47% | 22.9% | 12.4% |
| 17362 | 3,003 | 5.8 | 58.6% | 38% | 22.9% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
- ZIP 17331 (about 51% of Heidelberg Township's land): median 3.6 pCi/L across 11,820 tests, 12.4% at 20 or higher, top reading 1,260. Basement median 4, first floor 1.8.
- ZIP 17362 (about 49% of Heidelberg Township's land): median 5.8 pCi/L across 3,003 tests, 22.9% at 20 or higher, top reading 673. Basement median 7.2, first floor 2.8.
The spread inside Heidelberg Township runs from 47% of tests high in 17331 to 58.6% in 17362.
The share that matters most is the 20+ column. 14.5% 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 1,260 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 17331, basement tests have a median of 4 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 1.8 pCi/L (982 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 17331
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 282 | 3.5 | 47.5% |
| 1990s | 1,600 | 4.3 | 52.3% |
| 2000s | 2,997 | 4.1 | 51.5% |
| 2010s | 4,430 | 3.6 | 47% |
| 2020s | 2,511 | 2.7 | 38.1% |
The share peaked in the 1990s at 52.3% and sits at 38.1% 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 Heidelberg Township has not changed. 2,511 tests have been logged in 17331 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
Housing in Heidelberg Township and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| Heidelberg Township | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 1,198 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1978 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 12.7% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 54.7% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12.2% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 96.1% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 0.5% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 2.2% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 88.2% | 76.3% |
96.1% of homes in Heidelberg 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, most houses in Heidelberg Township 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 Heidelberg Township
Public schools here are part of Spring Grove Area School District. Bair's Mennonite Meetinghouse is in the township.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the township office at heidelbergtwpmunicipal.com.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in Heidelberg Township?
Yes. PA DEP has 14,823 tests on record from the ZIP codes covering Heidelberg Township, and 49.4% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 14.5% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17331?
The median of 11,820 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17331 is 3.6 pCi/L and the mean is 10.1 pCi/L. A mean that far above the median means a long tail of very high readings, topping out at 1,260 pCi/L.
Nearby
Hanover 47%, Spring Grove 58.6%, West Manheim Township 47%, Jefferson 58.6%, North Codorus Township 55.6%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 49.4% here.
Have a test result from Heidelberg Township?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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