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Radon in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta lies in 2 counties, in EPA Zone 1; 93.5% of it is in Fulton County, where 20.8% of 4,858 reported tests (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) were at or above 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so the only way to know your home's level is to test it.

Data checked By Radon411Methodology

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    20.8%

    4.0 pts below GA

    Fulton
    20.8%
    Georgia
    24.8%

    Fulton, 36th of 57 in GA, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    2.2pCi/L

    Below action level

    Fulton
    2.2 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of Fulton's tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Highest county

    20.8%

    Fulton

    Fulton
    20.8%
    DeKalb
    18.0%

    2 counties, 2 with 30+ tests, 2008 to 2017

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    Fulton; DeKalb Zone 1

  • Tests reported

    4,858

    In Fulton

    Fulton
    4,858
    DeKalb
    3,475

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

Read a result for Atlanta

Starts at Fulton County's median, 2.2 pCi/L

2.2pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 2.2 pCi/L

Between 2 and 4 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 between 2 and 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Fulton County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Atlanta, What is published

What is published for Atlanta

Information:

Every figure for Atlanta is a county's

Radon data is published by county, not by city, and Atlanta reaches into 2 counties: Fulton County and DeKalb County. Each has its own EPA zone and its own CDC test figures, set side by side below and each labelled with its county. Only a test tells you about one home.

Atlanta covers 135 square miles of land: 93.5% of it lies in Fulton County and 6.5% in DeKalb County. About 529,110 people live there, 3,910 to the square mile.

Atlanta, Counties

Atlanta's counties, side by side

Measured

Each county's own EPA zone and its own published CDC figures for 2008 to 2017, laboratory, the newest period any of them has. A county without a figure for that period is shown without one, never with a figure from another year.

  • Fulton County
    EPA zone
    Zone 1: Highest predicted potential
    At or above 4 pCi/L
    20.8%
    Median result
    2.2 pCi/L
    Tests reported
    4,858 tests
    Annual years on file
    None
  • DeKalb County
    EPA zone
    Zone 1: Highest predicted potential
    At or above 4 pCi/L
    18.0%
    Median result
    1.8 pCi/L
    Tests reported
    3,475 tests
    Annual years on file
    None
The counties Atlanta lies in, each with its own EPA zone and its own published CDC figures for 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyEPA zoneReported tests at or above 4 pCi/LMedian reported resultTests reportedAnnual years on file
Fulton CountyZone 1: Highest predicted potential20.8%2.2 pCi/L4,858 testsNone
DeKalb CountyZone 1: Highest predicted potential18.0%1.8 pCi/L3,475 testsNone

Atlanta spans 2 counties, each with its own EPA zone and its own CDC figure: Fulton County (Zone 1, 20.8% of 4,858 tests) and DeKalb County (Zone 1, 18.0% of 3,475 tests).

Fulton County ranks 36th of 57 Georgia counties with 30 or more tests for that period, 4.0 points below the 24.8% pooled across Georgia's counties, 14.9 points below the national pool of 35.7%. Of the city's other county, DeKalb County reported 18.0%.

Measured from the middle of Atlanta, the nearest counties with a CDC figure for 2008 to 2017, laboratory are Cobb County (15 miles, 16.3% of 3,315 tests), Clayton County (16 miles, 20.1% of 154 tests) and Douglas County (20 miles, 47.3% of 355 tests). Across the 8 nearest, the share at or above 4 pCi/L runs from 16.3% to 47.3%; the farthest of them, Paulding County, is 28 miles away at 26.0%.

The directory lists 1 business with an address in Atlanta, 1 for testing.

Against Georgia and its other counties

Radon test figures for the counties Atlanta lies in
CountyShare of AtlantaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianGeorgia, pooledRank in the stateEPA zone
Fulton County93.5%4,85820.8%2.2 pCi/L24.8%36 of 57Zone 1
DeKalb County6.5%3,47518.0%1.8 pCi/L24.8%44 of 57Zone 1

Shares of tests people chose to run and report, by county (2008 to 2017, laboratory); the state's is its counties' counts added up, calculated by Radon411. Only a test measures a home.

The counties around Atlanta

By distance from the middle of Atlanta; counties with 30 or more tests.

Nearest counties to Atlanta with 30 or more tests
CountyDistanceTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Cobb County15 mi3,31516.3%1.9 pCi/L
Clayton County16 mi15420.1%1.6 pCi/L
Douglas County20 mi35547.3%3.7 pCi/L
Rockdale County24 mi24729.1%2.3 pCi/L
Fayette County24 mi87330.5%2.6 pCi/L
Henry County26 mi38422.7%2.1 pCi/L
Gwinnett County27 mi4,18732.4%2.7 pCi/L
Paulding County28 mi28926.0%2.3 pCi/L

The median reported pre-mitigation result for 2008 to 2017, laboratory was 2.2 pCi/L in Fulton County and 1.8 pCi/L in DeKalb County.

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones, by county. Measured: CDC tracking data, by county, 2008 to 2017, laboratory.

Atlanta, Geology

The ground under Atlanta

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Atlanta's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Georgiabama Thrust Stack (South), to which USGS gives a radon index of 9, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Atlanta
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Georgiabama Thrust Stack (South)Schist, amphibolite and granite.Moderate9100%

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

Atlanta beside its counties and Georgia

All of Atlanta, like all of Fulton County, is rated moderate. Atlanta has more moderate-potential ground than Georgia as a whole: 100% of its land against 26.5%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Atlanta, the counties it lies in and Georgia
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
AtlantaBy countyNone100%None
Fulton CountyZone 1None100%None
DeKalb CountyZone 1None100%None
Georgia159 counties, pooled by land areaVaries73.1%26.5%None

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

Atlanta, Homes

Homes in Atlanta

Atlanta has 259,122 homes, and many share a building: 51% are in buildings of five or more, 36% are detached houses, against 46% across Fulton County. Half of its homes were built before 1987, close to Fulton County's 1992: 26% date from before 1960 and 39% from 2000 or later. Most occupied homes here are rented: owners live in 46% (Fulton County: 54%). A tenant can run a test; a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, 2019 to 2023
HomesAtlantaFulton CountyGeorgia
Housing units259,122500,4044,483,873
Detached houses36%46%66%
In buildings of 5 or more51%41%16%
Mobile homes1%1%8%
Built before 196026%15%12%
Built since 200039%38%33%
Middle year built198719921991
Owner-occupied46%54%65%

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

Local help

Atlanta, Professionals

Radon professionals listed in Atlanta

Businesses whose listed city is Atlanta, from the state registries and listings in the Radon411 directory, with the same business and certification status the directory shows.

1 listing with Atlanta as the city. See radon testing in Atlanta, or all radon professionals in Georgia.

Atlanta, Local resources

Local resources for Atlanta

Who to ask in Georgia: its radon program, test kits and professionals.

The program's own words on licensing are on the Georgia page.

What it means

Atlanta, Questions

Questions about radon in Atlanta

What radon zone is Atlanta in?

Both counties Atlanta reaches into (Fulton County and DeKalb County) are in Zone 1, the map's highest class: a predicted county average above 4 pCi/L. EPA zones counties, not cities, so that is the zone for every part of Atlanta.

What are radon levels in Atlanta?

Most tests near Atlanta come back under EPA's action level, but not all: 20.8% of Fulton County's 4,858 tests for 2008 to 2017 (laboratory totals) were at or above 4 pCi/L. The median reported result was 2.2 pCi/L. DeKalb County reported 18.0% of 3,475 tests; the counties are kept apart.

Should I test my home in Atlanta?

Yes. In Fulton County, about one reported test in 5 reached 4 pCi/L. That is below Georgia's pooled 24.8%, and still not a reason to skip it, and ranks Fulton County 36th of the 57 Georgia counties with 30 or more tests. The number for one house comes only from testing it. How to test a home.

What ground is Atlanta built on, as far as radon goes?

USGS's geologic map puts all of Atlanta on one named area, "Georgiabama Thrust Stack (South)", rated moderate for radon potential, radon index 9.

Is radon higher in the counties around Atlanta?

It depends which way you go. 6 of the 8 nearest counties with a figure report a larger share than Fulton County's 20.8% and 2 a smaller one: from Cobb County (16.3%, 15 miles off) to Douglas County (47.3%, 20 miles off).

Who tests for or fixes radon in Atlanta?

Atlanta is the address of one business in Radon411's directory, listed for testing, none for mitigation. Each entry names the public list it came from. Radon professionals in Atlanta.

The answers use the published figures of Fulton County and DeKalb County, the counties Atlanta lies in.

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