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Radon Levels in DeKalb County, Alabama

EPA puts DeKalb County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and most reported tests there come back low, though 13.2% of 68 (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) reached 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.

Data checked By Radon411Methodology

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    13.2%

    8.7 pts below AL

    DeKalb
    13.2%
    Alabama
    21.9%

    68 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    0.9pCi/L

    Below action level

    DeKalb
    0.9 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    68

    20th of 27 by tests

    DeKalb
    68
    Madison
    5,178

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 2

    Moderate potential

    1. 1
    2. Zone 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Alabama

    18 of 27

    Middle half

    DeKalb
    13.2%
    Colbert
    36.2%

    By share, of 27 with 30+ tests

Read a result for DeKalb County

Starts at DeKalb County's median, 0.9 pCi/L

0.9pCi/L

EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.

EPA’s reading of 0.9 pCi/L

Below 2 pCi/L

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 4 and aboveEPA says fix it

This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. DeKalb County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

DeKalb County, At a glance

DeKalb County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

DeKalb County is a county: EPA's forecast for it as a whole is an average indoor of 2 to 4 pCi/L (75 to 150 Bq/m³). It describes no single address, and homes above EPA's are found in every zone, this one included.

USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for DeKalb County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory

Reported results by concentration band, DeKalb County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 75%2 to 4 pCi/L: 12%4 pCi/L and above: 13%

Of 68 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, DeKalb County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L5175.0%
2 to 4 pCi/L811.8%
4 pCi/L and above913.2%
What these figures count

These are the 68 tests reported to CDC for DeKalb County over 2008 to 2017 (laboratory totals), many from homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: they describe the county's reported tests, not this house.

Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2008 to 2017, laboratory. Measured data period: 2005 to 2017 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

DeKalb County, Compared

DeKalb County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

DeKalb County reports fewer high tests than Alabama overall. 13.2% of its 68 tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 8.7 points below the 21.9% pooled from 65 Alabama counties.

Ordered from highest share down, it comes 18th of 27 Alabama counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; DeKalb County sits 22.5 points below it.

Next door, the shares run from 15.1% in Marshall County to 22.7% in Walker County, GA. Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 13.2% share point the same way here.

Half the tests came in under 0.9 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 39.0 pCi/L. The rest split 75.0% under 2 pCi/L and 11.8% from 2 to 4 (Alabama: 54.3% and 23.8%).

CDC's ten-year totals for DeKalb County went from 65 tests (2005 to 2014) to 68 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 7.7% to 13.2%.

DeKalb County against Alabama, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from DeKalb County
DeKalb County6813.2%0.9 pCi/LThis county
Alabama, pooled65 counties, pooled12,56921.9%Not pooled+8.7 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+22.5 points
Colbert Countyhighest in the state87136.2%2.7 pCi/L+23.0 points
Baldwin Countylowest in the state310.0%1.0 pCi/L−13.2 points
Chattooga County, GAborders it1560.0%5.0 pCi/L+46.8 points
Walker County, GAborders it4422.7%1.6 pCi/L+9.5 points
Etowah County, ALborders it5619.6%1.4 pCi/L+6.4 points
Dade County, GAborders it1717.6%1.5 pCi/L+4.4 points
Jackson County, ALborders it22317.5%1.5 pCi/L+4.3 points
Marshall County, ALborders it19915.1%1.3 pCi/L+1.9 points
Cherokee County, ALborders it1010.0%1.5 pCi/L−3.2 points
Where DeKalb County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Alabama and the United States
ResultDeKalb County testsDeKalb County shareAlabama shareU.S. shareAgainst Alabama
Under 2 pCi/L5175.0%54.3%39.6%+20.7 points
2 to 4 pCi/L811.8%23.8%24.7%−12.0 points
4 pCi/L and above913.2%21.9%35.7%−8.7 points
DeKalb County ranked among the 27 Alabama counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Lawrence County13 of 2715416.2%1.7 pCi/L
Marshall County14 of 2719915.1%1.3 pCi/L
Morgan County15 of 2745314.6%1.4 pCi/L
St. Clair County16 of 279314.0%1.2 pCi/L
Blount County17 of 274413.6%2.0 pCi/L
DeKalb County18 of 276813.2%0.9 pCi/L
Lee County19 of 278112.3%1.3 pCi/L
Cullman County20 of 277911.4%1.5 pCi/L
Shelby County21 of 2737311.3%1.3 pCi/L
Jefferson County22 of 2791210.7%1.2 pCi/L
Limestone County23 of 2767410.1%1.3 pCi/L
DeKalb County ten-year laboratory totals, against Alabama's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestAlabama, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 20176813.2%0.9 pCi/L39.0 pCi/L21.9%+3.7 points
2007 to 2016639.5%0.9 pCi/L39.0 pCi/L22.0%+0.3 points
2006 to 2015659.2%0.8 pCi/L39.0 pCi/L22.0%+1.5 points
2005 to 2014657.7%0.8 pCi/L13.8 pCi/L22.4%First on file

Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.

DeKalb County, Geology

The ground under DeKalb County

Predicted

Most of the ground under DeKalb County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 99.7% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 0.2% high. The map puts 54.4% of DeKalb County in the area it calls Appalachian Plateau and 45.4% in Valley and Ridge. USGS gives both a radon index of 9, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under DeKalb County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Appalachian PlateauLimestone, sandstone, carbonaceous shale, coalModerate954.4%
Valley and RidgeChattanooga black shale, Cambrian-Ordovician limestone and sandstone.Moderate945.4%

Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.

DeKalb County beside the ground around it

Alabama as a whole has more high-potential ground than DeKalb County: 14.3% of its land, against 0.2% here. Of the 7 counties that border it, 4 have more high-potential ground, Jackson County the most at 84.8%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: DeKalb County, the 7 counties bordering it and Alabama
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
DeKalb CountyZone 2None99.7%0.2%
Dade County, GAZone 389.6%0.1%10.3%
Jackson CountyZone 11.1%14.2%84.8%
Chattooga County, GAZone 3100%NoneNone
Cherokee CountyZone 20.2%91.6%8.2%
Walker County, GAZone 2100%NoneNone
Marshall CountyZone 2None56.2%43.8%
Etowah CountyZone 2None100%None
Alabama67 counties, pooled by land areaVaries35.2%50.4%14.3%

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

DeKalb County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in DeKalb County

What Alabama's program says
Phone
(334) 290-6244

What it means

DeKalb County, Questions

Questions about radon in DeKalb County

Are radon levels high in DeKalb County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 13.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for DeKalb County, Alabama were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.9 pCi/L. Of 27 Alabama counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 17 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 21.9%.

Which counties border DeKalb County?

DeKalb County borders 7 counties: Dade County, GA, Jackson County, AL, Chattooga County, GA, Cherokee County, AL, Walker County, GA, Marshall County, AL and Etowah County, AL.

Products

DeKalb County, Products

Testing a home in DeKalb County

In DeKalb County, 13.2% of 68 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 21.9% pooled across Alabama. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in DeKalb County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for DeKalb County homes, compared

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DeKalb County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering DeKalb County

Calculated by Radon411

DeKalb County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in DeKalb County

The Census Bureau estimates 74,085 residents in DeKalb County for July 1, 2025, 2,423 more than in 2020 (+3.4%). That works out to 95 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Fort Payne, has 15,189 residents, 20.5% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 68 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 0.9 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Alabama as a whole comes to 2.4.

From Fort Payne to Lakeview, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads DeKalb County's.

The 12 largest cities and towns in DeKalb County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Fort Payne15,189+2.2%20.5%
Rainsville6,020+8.8%8.1%
Henagar2,361+2.5%3.2%
Collinsvilleextends beyond DeKalb County2,121+2.7%Counted whole
Sylvania1,853+3.0%2.5%
Crossville1,851+1.2%2.5%
Fyffe986+1.1%1.3%
Powell946+4.0%1.3%
Geraldine918+1.0%1.2%
Ider742+2.2%1.0%
Sand Rockextends beyond DeKalb County620+5.1%Counted whole
Valley Head597+3.3%0.8%
  • Hammondville
  • Mentone
  • Shiloh
  • Pine Ridge
  • Lakeview

17 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. “(part)” marks a place that extends into another county. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025). A place that extends beyond DeKalb County is counted whole, so it has no share.

DeKalb County, Homes

Homes in DeKalb County

Of DeKalb County's 30,853 homes, 71% are detached houses, against 69% across Alabama; 22% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1984, close to Alabama's 1985: 17% date from before 1960 and 22% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 77% of the occupied homes (Alabama: 70%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in DeKalb County, Alabama, 2019 to 2023
HomesDeKalb CountyAlabama
Housing units30,8532,316,192
Detached houses71%69%
In buildings of 5 or more2%12%
Mobile homes22%13%
Built before 196017%16%
Built since 200022%27%
Middle year built19841985
Owner-occupied77%70%

Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.