Radon Mitigation in Manchester Township, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 12,221 home radon tests on record from the ZIP codes that cover Manchester Township (17404, 17406). 51.3% 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.
Manchester Township covers the north side of York, around Emigsville and up the Route 181 and Route 921 corridors. It is one of the faster-growing townships in the county: more than a third of its homes were built in 2000 or later, and almost nine in ten are owner-occupied. Newer houses still test high here. About half of tests in its two ZIP codes, 17404 and 17406, came back at or above 4.0 pCi/L.
What the PA DEP test records show for Manchester Township
ZIP codes don't follow township lines, so the 2 ZIP codes below also take in some homes just outside Manchester Township.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17404 | 8,196 | 4 | 50.7% | 20.2% | 6.1% |
| 17406 | 4,025 | 4.3 | 52.6% | 27.4% | 14.3% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
- ZIP 17404 (about 58% of Manchester Township's land): median 4 pCi/L across 8,196 tests, 6.1% at 20 or higher, top reading 534. Basement median 4.6, first floor 1.7.
- ZIP 17406 (about 31% of Manchester 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.
The spread inside Manchester Township runs from 50.7% of tests high in 17404 to 52.6% in 17406.
Look past the median to the high end. One test in 11 here came in at 20 pCi/L or more, five times the action level, and the highest reading on record is 534 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 17404, basement tests have a median of 4.6 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 1.7 pCi/L (1,092 first-floor tests). The basement number runs 2.7 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 17404
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 168 | 3.7 | 45.8% |
| 1990s | 1,388 | 4.2 | 52.4% |
| 2000s | 2,228 | 4.8 | 57% |
| 2010s | 3,040 | 3.9 | 49.5% |
| 2020s | 1,372 | 3.1 | 42% |
The share peaked in the 2000s at 57% and sits at 42% 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 Township has not changed. 1,372 tests have been logged in 17404 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
The ground under Manchester Township
The township sits on the York Valley carbonate belt. A limestone quarry has operated near Emigsville for years, which says plenty about what is under the soil.
Housing in Manchester Township and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| Manchester Township | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 7,431 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1993 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 5.6% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 37.3% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 35.3% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 75.1% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 22% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 0% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 89.4% | 76.3% |
About 22% 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.
35.3% of the homes here were built in 2000 or later, one of the higher shares in the county. New construction is not radon-proof. A tight modern house can hold radon in as well as it holds heat in. Some builders rough in a passive vent pipe during construction, which makes a later active system cheaper, so check for a capped pipe in the basement. More on that in radon in new construction.
Cost-wise, a newer house with a passive pipe already roughed in can come in under the usual $800 to $1,500, since the installer mostly adds a fan and a gauge. Full ranges on the cost page.
Where we work in Manchester Township
That covers Emigsville. Route 921 and Route 181 run through the township. Public schools here are part of the Central York School District. The township was laid out in 1742, and York Barbell, home of the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame, is based here.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the township office at www.mantwp.com.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in Manchester Township?
Yes. PA DEP has 12,221 tests on record from the ZIP codes covering Manchester Township, and 51.3% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 8.8% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17404?
The median of 8,196 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17404 is 4 pCi/L and the mean is 7 pCi/L. The top reading on record there is 534 pCi/L.
Nearby
York City 51.9%, West Manchester Township 50.5%, East Manchester Township 50.6%, Dover Township 44.2%, Springettsbury Township 54.1%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 51.3% here.
Have a test result from Manchester Township?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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