Radon Mitigation in York Haven, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 1,034 home radon tests on record from the ZIP code that cover York Haven (17370). 40.8% came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level, against 52.5% for York County as a whole. Lower than York County overall, yet still more than four tests in ten. A standard system here typically costs $800 to $1,500. The only way to know about one house is to test it.
York Haven is a borough in York County with about 732 residents and 328 homes, median year built 1938. It sits on the Susquehanna River. The Brunner Island power plant sits on the Susquehanna River here. 40.8% 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 York Haven
ZIP 17370 covers essentially all of York Haven, so these numbers are about as local as public radon data gets.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17370 | 1,034 | 3 | 40.8% | 14.2% | 4.7% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
Look past the median to the high end. One test in 21 here came in at 20 pCi/L or more, five times the action level, and the highest reading on record is 176 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 17370, basement tests have a median of 3.3 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 1.6 pCi/L (100 first-floor tests). The basement number runs 2.1 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 17370
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 117 | 2.9 | 41.9% |
| 2000s | 278 | 3.3 | 41% |
| 2010s | 439 | 3 | 40.3% |
| 2020s | 193 | 3.1 | 41.5% |
The share peaked in the 1990s at 41.9% and sits at 41.5% 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. 193 tests have been logged in 17370 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
Housing in York Haven and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| York Haven | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 328 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1938 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 70.4% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 91.2% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6.7% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 51.8% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 25% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 5.5% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 64.1% | 76.3% |
70.4% of the homes in York Haven 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 25% 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.
Cost-wise, expect older houses in York Haven 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 York Haven
Main roads include Wago Road. Public schools here are part of Northeastern York School District. The Brunner Island power plant sits on the Susquehanna River here.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the borough office at yorkhavenborough.org.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in York Haven?
Yes. PA DEP has 1,034 tests on record from the ZIP code covering York Haven, and 40.8% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 4.7% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17370?
The median of 1,034 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17370 is 3 pCi/L and the mean is 6.2 pCi/L. A mean that far above the median means a long tail of very high readings, topping out at 176 pCi/L.
Nearby
Newberry Township 41.8%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 40.8% here.
Have a test result from York Haven?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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