Short-term kitempowerDX
Standard Radon Test short-term mail-in radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Passive sampler
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Shelby County, Kentucky
EPA puts Shelby County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 37.6% of its 407 reported radon tests (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) were at or above 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
37.6%
6.1 pts below KY
- Shelby
- 37.6%
- Kentucky
- 43.7%
407 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.0pCi/L
Below action level
- Shelby
- 3.0 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
407
15th of 69 by tests
- Shelby
- 407
- Jefferson
- 6,590
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Kentucky
32 of 69
Middle half
- Shelby
- 37.6%
- Meade
- 68.4%
By share, of 69 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Shelby County
Starts at Shelby County's median, 3.0 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.0 pCi/L
Between 2 and 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 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. Shelby County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Shelby County, At a glance
Shelby County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Shelby County is a
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 Shelby County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 36%2 to 4 pCi/L: 26%4 pCi/L and above: 38%
Of 407 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 146 | 35.9% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 108 | 26.5% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 153 | 37.6% |
What these figures count
These are the 407 tests reported to CDC for Shelby 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).
Shelby County, Compared
Shelby County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Shelby County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (153 of 407) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 1.9 points higher. Across 120 Kentucky counties pooled together, 43.7% of tests reached that level, so Shelby County runs 6.1 points below its state.
Of 6 neighbours with a figure, 2 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 4 a smaller one; the spread is 25.2% (Anderson County) to 43.1% (Franklin County). By share, Shelby County is 32nd of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 3.0 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 40.2 pCi/L. Below the action level, 146 tests (35.9%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 33.2% statewide, and 108 tests (26.5%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.1% statewide.
Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 37.6% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential. CDC also counts 10 tests taken after mitigation in Shelby County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
CDC's ten-year totals for Shelby County went from 255 tests (2005 to 2014) to 407 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 43.1% to 37.6%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Shelby County, Geology
The ground under Shelby County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Shelby County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Outer Bluegrass, to which USGS gives a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outer Bluegrass | Ordovician-Devonian limestone and shale. | Moderate | 11 | 100% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Shelby County beside the ground around it
Across Kentucky 18.2% of the land is rated high; none of Shelby County's is. Of the 6 counties that border it, 5 have more high-potential ground, Franklin County the most at 66.8%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Shelby County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Shelby County
- Kentucky's radon programKentucky Board of Radon SafetyKentucky's radon program answers questions about testing, mitigation and the rules in Kentucky.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsAsk the program whether it has free or discounted kits, or compare kits you can buy.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Kentucky8 professionals are listed in Kentucky.
What Kentucky's program says
- Phone
- 502-782-2782
- Radon@ky.gov
What it means
Shelby County, Questions
Questions about radon in Shelby County
Are radon levels high in Shelby County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 37.6% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Shelby County, Kentucky were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.0 pCi/L. Of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 31 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 43.7%.
Which counties border Shelby County?
Shelby County borders 6 counties: Spencer County, Henry County, Anderson County, Franklin County, Oldham County and Jefferson County.
Products
Shelby County, Products
Testing a home in Shelby County
In Shelby County, 37.6% of 407 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 43.7% pooled across Kentucky. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Shelby County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL416 long-term radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
MonitorKidde
Radon Detector (RAB) battery digital radon detector with an alarm
- 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
Shelby County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Shelby County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Franklin CountyEPA zone 1
43.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.3 pCi/L · 810 tests · 5.5 points above Shelby County
- Radon levels in Jefferson CountyEPA zone 1
39.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.7 pCi/L · 6,590 tests · 1.8 points above Shelby County
- Radon levels in Oldham CountyEPA zone 2
37.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.7 pCi/L · 803 tests · 0.5 points below Shelby County
- Radon levels in Henry CountyEPA zone 2
36.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.2 pCi/L · 41 tests · 1.0 points below Shelby County
- Radon levels in Spencer CountyEPA zone 2
31.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 166 tests · 6.3 points below Shelby County
- Radon levels in Anderson CountyEPA zone 2
25.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.2 pCi/L · 226 tests · 12.4 points below Shelby County
Shelby County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Shelby County
Shelby County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 51,243 residents on July 1, 2025, up 6.2% from 48,245 in 2020. That works out to 135 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Shelbyville, has 18,453 residents, 36.0% of the total. CDC's 407 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 7.9 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Kentucky's 6.3.
From Shelbyville to Pleasureville, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Shelby County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelbyville | 18,453 | +6.3% | 36.0% |
| Simpsonville | 3,183 | +6.5% | 6.2% |
| Pleasurevilleextends beyond Shelby County | 812 | +4.6% | Counted whole |
3 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). A place that extends beyond Shelby County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Shelby County, Homes
Homes in Shelby County
Shelby County is a place of houses on their own lots: 79% of its 19,216 homes are detached single-family houses, against 68% across Kentucky. Much of Shelby County is recent building: 36% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1992, against 1982 for Kentucky. 74% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Kentucky: 68%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Shelby County | Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 19,216 | 2,010,655 |
| Detached houses | 79% | 68% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 10% | 12% |
| Mobile homes | 3% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 16% | 22% |
| Built since 2000 | 36% | 24% |
| Middle year built | 1992 | 1982 |
| Owner-occupied | 74% | 68% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.