Radon Mitigation in Seven Valleys, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 1,543 home radon tests on record from the ZIP code that cover Seven Valleys (17360). 63.4% came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level, against 52.5% for York County as a whole. That puts Seven Valleys clearly above the county as a whole. A standard system here typically costs $800 to $1,500. The only way to know about one house is to test it.
Seven Valleys is a borough in York County with about 598 residents and 260 homes, median year built 1960. It sits between North Codorus and Springfield townships. Lincoln's funeral train passed through the town in 1865, and its Northern Central Railway bridge is on the National Register. 63.4% 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 Seven Valleys
ZIP 17360 covers essentially all of Seven Valleys, so these numbers are about as local as public radon data gets.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17360 | 1,543 | 7.5 | 63.4% | 41.6% | 24.7% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
Look past the median to the high end. One test in 4 here came in at 20 pCi/L or more, five times the action level, and the highest reading on record is 318 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 17360, basement tests have a median of 8 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 4.6 pCi/L (92 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.
It also explains why two neighbors can get very different results. One tested a finished basement, the other tested a first-floor bedroom. For a decision about mitigation, the test that counts is the one from the lowest level anyone spends time in.
Radon results by decade in ZIP 17360
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 333 | 10 | 68.5% |
| 2010s | 876 | 7.6 | 63% |
| 2020s | 285 | 4.6 | 55.4% |
The share peaked in the 2000s at 68.5% and sits at 55.4% 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 Seven Valleys has not changed. 285 tests have been logged in 17360 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
Housing in Seven Valleys and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| Seven Valleys | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 260 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1960 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 37.7% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 72.3% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6.9% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 41.2% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 30.4% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 0% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 57.6% | 76.3% |
37.7% of the homes in Seven Valleys 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.
About 30.4% 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.
Only about 57.6% of homes in Seven Valleys 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, an attached home in Seven Valleys is usually still a single suction point, so $800 to $1,500 is the normal range, but a long interior pipe run to get above the roof line can push it higher. Full ranges on the cost page.
Where we work in Seven Valleys
Public schools here are part of Spring Grove Area School District. Lincoln's funeral train passed through the town in 1865, and its Northern Central Railway bridge is on the National Register.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the borough office at www.sevenvalleysborough.com.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in Seven Valleys?
Yes. PA DEP has 1,543 tests on record from the ZIP code covering Seven Valleys, and 63.4% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 24.7% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17360?
The median of 1,543 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17360 is 7.5 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 318 pCi/L.
Nearby
Springfield Township 62%, Loganville 56.5%, North Codorus Township 55.6%, Codorus Township 59.6%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 63.4% here.
Have a test result from Seven Valleys?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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