Radon Mitigation in Lower Windsor Township, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 6,240 home radon tests on record from the ZIP codes that cover Lower Windsor Township (17368, 17406, 17366). 55.5% 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 close to the county-wide rate, which is itself about one test in two. A standard system here typically costs $800 to $1,500. The only way to know about one house is to test it.
Lower Windsor Township is a township in York County with about 7,595 residents and 3,123 homes, median year built 1973. It includes the boroughs of Yorkana and East Prospect. Samuel S. Lewis State Park overlooks the Susquehanna River in the eastern part of the township. 55.5% 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 Lower Windsor Township
ZIP codes don't follow township lines, so the 3 ZIP codes below also take in some homes just outside Lower Windsor Township.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17368 | 1,351 | 5.2 | 56.9% | 31.8% | 16.3% |
| 17406 | 4,025 | 4.3 | 52.6% | 27.4% | 14.3% |
| 17366 | 864 | 8.8 | 67.1% | 45.9% | 28.2% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
- ZIP 17368 (about 43% of Lower Windsor Township'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.
- ZIP 17406 (about 27% of Lower Windsor 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 17366 (about 25% of Lower Windsor Township's land): median 8.8 pCi/L across 864 tests, 28.2% at 20 or higher, top reading 238. Basement median 9, first floor 5.9.
The spread inside Lower Windsor Township runs from 52.6% of tests high in 17406 to 67.1% in 17366.
Look past the median to the high end. One test in 6 here came in at 20 pCi/L or more, five times the action level, and the highest reading on record 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.
Basement readings versus first-floor readings
In ZIP 17368, basement tests have a median of 7.5 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 2.9 pCi/L (151 first-floor tests). The basement number runs 2.6 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.
This matters for what you test. The PA DEP and EPA guidance is to test the lowest level you use or could use as living space. If the basement is finished, or might be someday, test it there. A finished rec room at 7.5 pCi/L is a different decision from an unfinished storage basement you rarely stand in.
Radon results by decade in ZIP 17368
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 287 | 7.5 | 70.4% |
| 2010s | 755 | 4.1 | 50.9% |
| 2020s | 212 | 5 | 56.1% |
The share peaked in the 2000s at 70.4% and sits at 56.1% 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 Lower Windsor Township has not changed. 212 tests have been logged in 17368 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
Housing in Lower Windsor Township and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| Lower Windsor Township | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 3,123 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1973 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 18.8% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 62.5% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16.4% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 80.4% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 4.3% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 12.1% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 85.5% | 76.3% |
Most of the housing in Lower Windsor Township went up between the 1940s and the 1970s (62.5% was built before 1980, median year 1973). 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.
12.1% of homes in Lower Windsor 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.
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 Lower Windsor Township
Public schools here are part of Eastern York School District. Samuel S. Lewis State Park overlooks the Susquehanna River in the eastern part of the township.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the township office at www.lowerwindsor.com.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in Lower Windsor Township?
Yes. PA DEP has 6,240 tests on record from the ZIP codes covering Lower Windsor Township, and 55.5% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 16.7% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17368?
The median of 1,351 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17368 is 5.2 pCi/L and the mean is 17.5 pCi/L. A mean that far above the median means a long tail of very high readings, topping out at 1,041 pCi/L.
Nearby
Hallam 52.6%, Windsor Borough 67.1%, Wrightsville 56.9%, Yorkana 52.6%, Hellam Township 53.7%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 55.5% here.
Have a test result from Lower Windsor Township?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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