Radon Mitigation in Stewartstown, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 2,814 home radon tests on record from the ZIP code that cover Stewartstown (17363). 63.8% 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 well above the county rate, so Stewartstown sits among the higher-testing parts of York County. A standard system here typically costs $800 to $1,500. The only way to know about one house is to test it.
Stewartstown is a borough in York County with about 1,761 residents and 776 homes, median year built 1990. It is surrounded by Hopewell Township. The Stewartstown Railroad and its engine house are on the National Register of Historic Places. 63.8% 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 Stewartstown
ZIP 17363 covers essentially all of Stewartstown, so these numbers are about as local as public radon data gets.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17363 | 2,814 | 6.9 | 63.8% | 40.5% | 21.4% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
Look past the median to the high end. One test in 5 here came in at 20 pCi/L or more, five times the action level, and the highest reading on record is 333 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 17363, basement tests have a median of 7.3 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 4.5 pCi/L (222 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.
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 7.3 pCi/L is a different decision from an unfinished storage basement you rarely stand in.
Radon results by decade in ZIP 17363
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 283 | 6.5 | 61.5% |
| 2000s | 923 | 8.7 | 69.7% |
| 2010s | 1,061 | 6.6 | 63.1% |
| 2020s | 543 | 4.9 | 56.4% |
The share peaked in the 2000s at 69.7% and sits at 56.4% 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 Stewartstown has not changed. 543 tests have been logged in 17363 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
Housing in Stewartstown and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| Stewartstown | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 776 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1990 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 27.4% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 39.9% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 32.3% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 53.5% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 21.4% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 0% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 64.7% | 76.3% |
27.4% of the homes in Stewartstown 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 21.4% 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.
32.3% 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, expect older houses in Stewartstown 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 Stewartstown
Main roads include Main Street, the old 1777 York-Baltimore road. Public schools here are part of South Eastern School District. The Stewartstown Railroad and its engine house are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the borough office at www.stewartstown.org.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in Stewartstown?
Yes. PA DEP has 2,814 tests on record from the ZIP code covering Stewartstown, and 63.8% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 21.4% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17363?
The median of 2,814 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17363 is 6.9 pCi/L and the mean is 14.3 pCi/L. A mean that far above the median means a long tail of very high readings, topping out at 333 pCi/L.
Nearby
Hopewell Township 58%, East Hopewell Township 64.6%, North Hopewell Township 62.2%, Cross Roads 65.2%, Shrewsbury Township 55.5%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 63.8% here.
Have a test result from Stewartstown?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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