Short-term kitKidde
442020 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 3 days
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Garrett County, Maryland
EPA puts Garrett County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 37.4% of its 187 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
37.4%
13.5 pts above MD
- Garrett
- 37.4%
- Maryland
- 23.9%
187 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.0pCi/L
Below action level
- Garrett
- 3.0 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
187
16th of 19 by tests
- Garrett
- 187
- Montgomery
- 10,969
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 Maryland
4 of 19
Top quarter
- Garrett
- 37.4%
- Washington
- 56.0%
By share, of 19 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Garrett County
Starts at Garrett 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. Garrett County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Garrett County, At a glance
Garrett County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Garrett 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 Garrett County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 31%2 to 4 pCi/L: 32%4 pCi/L and above: 37%
Of 187 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 58 | 31.0% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 59 | 31.6% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 70 | 37.4% |
What these figures count
These are the 187 tests reported to CDC for Garrett 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).
Garrett County, Compared
Garrett County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Garrett County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (70 of 187) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 1.7 points higher. Across 24 Maryland counties pooled together, 23.9% of tests reached that level, so Garrett County runs 13.5 points above 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 9.8% (Grant County, WV) to 45.4% (Somerset County, PA). By share, Garrett County is 4th of 19 Maryland 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 82.0 pCi/L. Below the action level, 58 tests (31.0%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 56.6% statewide, and 59 tests (31.6%) fell between 2 and 4, against 19.5% statewide.
Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 37.4% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential. CDC also counts 12 tests taken after mitigation in Garrett County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
CDC's ten-year totals for Garrett County went from 186 tests (2005 to 2014) to 187 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 37.1% to 37.4%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Garrett County, Geology
The ground under Garrett County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Garrett County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Allegheny Plateau, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny Plateau | Devonian-Pennsylvanian sandstone, siltstone, shale, limestone, coal. | Moderate | 11 | 99.7% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Garrett County beside the ground around it
Across Maryland 36.7% of the land is rated high; none of Garrett County's is. Of the 6 counties that border it, 5 have more high-potential ground, Mineral County, WV the most at 84.2%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Garrett County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Garrett County
- Maryland's radon programMaryland Department of HealthMaryland's radon program offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Maryland.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
Maryland residents may be eligible for a free radon test kit.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Maryland5 professionals are listed in Maryland.
What Maryland's program says
- Phone
- 1-866-703-3266
What it means
Garrett County, Questions
Questions about radon in Garrett County
Are radon levels high in Garrett County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 37.4% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Garrett County, Maryland were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.0 pCi/L. Of 19 Maryland counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 3 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 23.9%.
Which counties border Garrett County?
Garrett County borders 6 counties: Mineral County, WV, Preston County, WV, Grant County, WV, Somerset County, PA, Fayette County, PA and Allegany County, MD.
Products
Garrett County, Products
Testing a home in Garrett County
In Garrett County, 37.4% of 187 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 23.9% pooled across Maryland. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Garrett 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
Monitor
RadonEye RD200 plug-in continuous radon monitor
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Approved
- Plug-in
- Bluetooth
- Alarm
- Screen, app
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Garrett County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Garrett County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Somerset County, PAEPA zone 2
45.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 498 tests · 8.0 points above Garrett County
- Radon levels in Mineral County, WVEPA zone 1
42.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.8 pCi/L · 107 tests · 4.7 points above Garrett County
- Radon levels in Preston County, WVEPA zone 1
36.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 176 tests · 0.5 points below Garrett County
- Radon levels in Fayette County, PAEPA zone 2
35.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.8 pCi/L · 583 tests · 1.6 points below Garrett County
- Radon levels in Allegany County, MDEPA zone 2
35.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.7 pCi/L · 286 tests · 1.7 points below Garrett County
- Radon levels in Grant County, WVEPA zone 1
9.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.1 pCi/L · 164 tests · 27.6 points below Garrett County
Garrett County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Garrett County
About 28,370 people live in Garrett County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 428 fewer than in 2020 (−1.5%). That works out to 44 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Mountain Lake Park, the largest, has 2,101 residents, 7.4% of the total. Together its 8 incorporated places hold 23.6% of those residents; the other 76.4% live outside any of them. CDC's 187 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 6.6 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Maryland's 7.7.
From Mountain Lake Park to Kitzmiller, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Garrett County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Lake Park | 2,101 | −2.1% | 7.4% |
| Oakland | 1,808 | −1.9% | 6.4% |
| Grantsville | 954 | −1.2% | 3.4% |
| Loch Lynn Heights | 482 | −1.6% | 1.7% |
| Friendsville | 426 | −1.4% | 1.5% |
| Accident | 330 | −1.5% | 1.2% |
| Deer Park | 301 | −1.6% | 1.1% |
| Kitzmiller | 292 | −2.0% | 1.0% |
8 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).
Garrett County, Homes
Homes in Garrett County
Garrett County is a place of houses on their own lots: 79% of its 18,567 homes are detached single-family houses, against 51% across Maryland. Half of its homes were built before 1981, close to Maryland's 1979: 23% date from before 1960 and 21% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 81% of the occupied homes (Maryland: 67%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Garrett County | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 18,567 | 2,545,532 |
| Detached houses | 79% | 51% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 4% | 23% |
| Mobile homes | 9% | 1% |
| Built before 1960 | 23% | 27% |
| Built since 2000 | 21% | 20% |
| Middle year built | 1981 | 1979 |
| Owner-occupied | 81% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.