Borough, York County

Radon Mitigation in Spring Grove, PA

Updated September 30, 2026

Spring Grove is a borough in York County with about 2,433 residents and 994 homes, median year built 1959. It includes on Codorus Creek next to Jackson Township. The P.H. Glatfelter paper mill has operated here since 1864. 58.6% 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 Spring Grove

ZIP 17362 covers essentially all of Spring Grove, 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: 38% of tests here were 10 pCi/L or higher and 22.9% were 20 or higher. The top reading on record in these ZIP codes is 673 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 17362, basement tests have a median of 7.2 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 2.8 pCi/L (276 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 7.2 pCi/L is a different decision from an unfinished storage basement you rarely stand in.

Radon results by decade in ZIP 17362

The share peaked in the 2010s at 62.2% and sits at 56.1% for tests since 2020. That is a small move, well within what you'd expect from a shifting mix of home-sale tests and retests. 578 tests have been logged in 17362 since 2020, so people here are still testing.

Housing in Spring Grove and what it means for a system

Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:

36.5% of the homes in Spring Grove 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.

Cost-wise, expect older houses in Spring Grove 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 Spring Grove

Public schools here are part of Spring Grove Area School District. The P.H. Glatfelter paper mill has operated here since 1864.

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

Common questions

Is radon a problem in Spring Grove?

Yes. PA DEP has 3,003 tests on record from the ZIP code covering Spring Grove, and 58.6% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 22.9% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.

What is the average radon level in ZIP 17362?

The median of 3,003 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17362 is 5.8 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 673 pCi/L.

Nearby

Jefferson 58.6%, North Codorus Township 55.6%, Jackson Township 53.7%, Heidelberg Township 49.4%, Codorus Township 59.6%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 58.6% here.