Short-term kitFirst Alert
RD1 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 4 days
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Columbia County, Georgia
EPA puts Columbia County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and most reported tests there come back low, though 11.1% of 63 (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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
11.1%
13.7 pts below GA
- Columbia
- 11.1%
- Georgia
- 24.8%
63 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
0.9pCi/L
Below action level
- Columbia
- 0.9 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
63
45th of 57 by tests
- Columbia
- 63
- Fulton
- 4,858
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 3
Lower potential
- 1
- 2
- Zone 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts under 2 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Georgia
53 of 57
Lowest quarter
- Columbia
- 11.1%
- Barrow
- 48.3%
By share, of 57 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Columbia County
Starts at Columbia County's median, 0.9 pCi/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
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Columbia County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Columbia County, At a glance
Columbia County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 100% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Columbia County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 83%2 to 4 pCi/L: 6%4 pCi/L and above: 11%
Of 63 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 52 | 82.5% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 4 | 6.3% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 7 | 11.1% |
What these figures count
These are the 63 tests reported to CDC for Columbia 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).
Columbia County, Compared
Columbia County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Columbia County reports fewer high tests than Georgia overall. 11.1% of its 63 tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 13.7 points below the 24.8% pooled from 129 Georgia counties.
Ordered from highest share down, it comes 53rd of 57 Georgia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Columbia County sits 24.6 points below it.
Richmond County, the one bordering county with a figure for the same period, reported 0.0%. Zone 3 on EPA's map (predicted average under 2 pCi/L) and a 11.1% share point the same way here.
Half the tests came in under 0.9 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 7.2 pCi/L. The rest split 82.5% under 2 pCi/L and 6.3% from 2 to 4 (Georgia: 44.0% and 31.2%).
CDC's ten-year totals for Columbia County went from 63 tests (2005 to 2014) to 63 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 6.3% to 11.1%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Columbia County, Geology
The ground under Columbia County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Columbia County's mapped land in one class: low radon potential. The map puts 80.6% of Columbia County in the area it calls Little River Thrust Stack and 17.6% in Coastal Plain, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 7 and the second 8, both in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little River Thrust Stack | Biotite and amphibolite gneiss, granite gneiss, mica schist. | Low | 7 | 80.6% |
| Coastal Plain | Cretaceous and Tertiary marine and coastal sediments including limestone, sandstone, sand, silt, and clay. Coastal plan sands containing glauconite may generate locally elevated radon. | Low | 8 | 17.6% |
| Carolina Slate Belt | Amphibolite, granitic gneiss, quartzite, muscovite schist, meta-argillite, metavolcanic rocks. | Low | 8 | 1.8% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Columbia County beside the ground around it
Across Georgia 26.5% of the land is rated moderate; none of Columbia County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, 2 have more moderate-potential ground, Edgefield County, SC the most at 1.2%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Columbia County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Columbia County
- Georgia's radon programGeorgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection DivisionGeorgia's radon program does not license radon professionals and offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Georgia.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
A kit costs $15.00 if mailed or $10.00 if picked up at a participating County Extension office.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Georgia3 professionals are listed in Georgia.
What Georgia's program says
- Licensing of radon professionals
There are no laws mandating a mitigator receive certification in Georgia, however, many mitigators choose to get certified by one of two national programs.
What it means
Columbia County, Questions
Questions about radon in Columbia County
Are radon levels high in Columbia County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 11.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Columbia County, Georgia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.9 pCi/L. Of 57 Georgia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 52 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.8%.
Which counties border Columbia County?
Columbia County borders 5 counties: Richmond County, GA, McDuffie County, GA, Edgefield County, SC, McCormick County, SC and Lincoln County, GA.
Products
Columbia County, Products
Testing a home in Columbia County
In Columbia County, 11.1% of 63 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 24.8% pooled across Georgia. Zone 3 is the lowest label, yet homes at or above 4 pCi/L occur in every zone: a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Columbia County.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-1011S rechargeable radon detector with a screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 12 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Columbia County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Columbia County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Edgefield County, SCEPA zone 3
25.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.2 pCi/L · 12 tests · 13.9 points above Columbia County
- Radon levels in McDuffie County, GAEPA zone 3
8.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.9 pCi/L · 12 tests · 2.8 points below Columbia County
- Radon levels in Richmond County, GAEPA zone 2
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.4 pCi/L · 32 tests · 11.1 points below Columbia County
- Radon levels in McCormick County, SCEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.1 pCi/L · 10 tests · 11.1 points below Columbia County
- Radon levels in Lincoln County, GAEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.1 pCi/L · 1 test · 11.1 points below Columbia County
Columbia County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Columbia County
Columbia County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 169,189 residents on July 1, 2025, up 7.9% from 156,860 in 2020. That works out to 583 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Grovetown, the largest, has 17,939 residents, 10.6% of the total. Together its 2 incorporated places hold 13.1% of those residents; the other 86.9% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 63 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 0.4 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Georgia as a whole comes to 2.7.
From Grovetown to Harlem, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Columbia County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grovetown | 17,939 | +12.9% | 10.6% |
| Harlem | 4,239 | +17.5% | 2.5% |
2 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025).
Columbia County, Homes
Homes in Columbia County
Columbia County is a place of houses on their own lots: 79% of its 60,412 homes are detached single-family houses, against 66% across Georgia. Half of its homes were built before 1998, close to Georgia's 1991: 3% date from before 1960 and 46% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 78% of the occupied homes (Georgia: 65%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Columbia County | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 60,412 | 4,483,873 |
| Detached houses | 79% | 66% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 6% | 16% |
| Mobile homes | 6% | 8% |
| Built before 1960 | 3% | 12% |
| Built since 2000 | 46% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1998 | 1991 |
| Owner-occupied | 78% | 65% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.