Borough, York County

Radon Mitigation in Manchester Borough, PA

Updated September 30, 2026

Manchester Borough is a borough in York County with about 2,803 residents and 1,172 homes, median year built 1975. It is surrounded by East Manchester Township. The borough was originally called Liverpool, and was incorporated in 1869. 41% 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 Manchester Borough

ZIP 17345 covers essentially all of Manchester Borough, so these numbers are about as local as public radon data gets.

Half of the story is the median. The other half is the tail: 14.5% of tests here were 10 pCi/L or higher and 4.6% 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 17345, basement tests have a median of 3.2 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 2.2 pCi/L (84 first-floor tests). The gap is smaller than in most of the county, which means readings upstairs here are not much of a relief from the basement number.

Radon results by decade in ZIP 17345

The share peaked in the 2000s at 45.4% and sits at 31.3% 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 Manchester Borough has not changed. 278 tests have been logged in 17345 since 2020, so people here are still testing.

Housing in Manchester Borough and what it means for a system

Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:

25.7% of the homes in Manchester Borough 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.

Only about 59% of homes in Manchester Borough are owner-occupied, so a lot of people here rent. Pennsylvania does not require landlords to test, but a tenant can ask, and a landlord can test between tenancies without much hassle. Our landlord testing guide covers the details.

Cost-wise, expect older houses in Manchester Borough to land in the $1,200 to $2,500 part of the range once sealing and a possible second suction point are counted. Newer houses are usually the standard $800 to $1,500 job. Full ranges on the cost page.

Where we work in Manchester Borough

Public schools here are part of Northeastern York School District. The borough was originally called Liverpool, and was incorporated in 1869.

Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the borough office at manchesterborough.gov.

Common questions

Is radon a problem in Manchester Borough?

Yes. PA DEP has 983 tests on record from the ZIP code covering Manchester Borough, and 41% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 4.6% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.

What is the average radon level in ZIP 17345?

The median of 983 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17345 is 3.2 pCi/L and the mean is 6.7 pCi/L. A mean that far above the median means a long tail of very high readings, topping out at 696 pCi/L.

Nearby

East Manchester Township 50.6%, Conewago Township 49.1%, Newberry Township 41.8%, Mount Wolf 58.1%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 41% here.