Radon Mitigation in New Freedom, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 2,730 home radon tests on record from the ZIP code that cover New Freedom (17349). 52% 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.
New Freedom is a borough in York County with about 5,066 residents and 1,943 homes, median year built 1989. The Heritage Rail Trail runs through the center of town, and D. Landreth Seed Company, the oldest seed company in America, is based here. 52% 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 New Freedom
ZIP 17349 covers essentially all of New Freedom, so these numbers are about as local as public radon data gets.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17349 | 2,730 | 4.3 | 52% | 25.5% | 11.2% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
Half of the story is the median. The other half is the tail: 25.5% of tests here were 10 pCi/L or higher and 11.2% were 20 or higher. The top reading on record in these ZIP codes is 240 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 17349, basement tests have a median of 4.7 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 2.8 pCi/L (235 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 17349
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 330 | 5.4 | 60% |
| 2000s | 677 | 5 | 57.2% |
| 2010s | 1,076 | 4.6 | 55.1% |
| 2020s | 614 | 2.3 | 36% |
The share peaked in the 1990s at 60% and sits at 36% 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 New Freedom has not changed. 614 tests have been logged in 17349 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
Housing in New Freedom and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| New Freedom | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 1,943 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1989 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 7.9% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 24.8% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18.5% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 85.9% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 10.4% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 0% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 90.5% | 76.3% |
85.9% of homes in New Freedom 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 New Freedom 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 New Freedom
Public schools here are part of Southern York County School District. The Heritage Rail Trail runs through the center of town, and D. Landreth Seed Company, the oldest seed company in America, is based here.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the borough office at www.newfreedomboro.org.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in New Freedom?
Yes. PA DEP has 2,730 tests on record from the ZIP code covering New Freedom, and 52% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 11.2% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17349?
The median of 2,730 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17349 is 4.3 pCi/L and the mean is 9.3 pCi/L. A mean that far above the median means a long tail of very high readings, topping out at 240 pCi/L.
Nearby
Shrewsbury Township 55.5%, Hopewell Township 58%, North Hopewell Township 62.2%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 52% here.
Have a test result from New Freedom?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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