Short-term kit
RA100 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Emmet County, Michigan
EPA puts Emmet County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 15.2% of its 815 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
15.2%
11.7 pts below MI
- Emmet
- 15.2%
- Michigan
- 26.9%
815 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
1.6pCi/L
Below action level
- Emmet
- 1.6 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
815
33rd of 82 by tests
- Emmet
- 815
- Oakland
- 16,224
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 Michigan
48 of 82
Middle half
- Emmet
- 15.2%
- Lenawee
- 56.7%
By share, of 82 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Emmet County
Starts at Emmet County's median, 1.6 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 1.6 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. Emmet County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Emmet County, At a glance
Emmet County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Emmet County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 76% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Emmet County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 59%2 to 4 pCi/L: 26%4 pCi/L and above: 15%
Of 815 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 478 | 58.7% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 213 | 26.1% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 124 | 15.2% |
What these figures count
These are the 815 tests reported to CDC for Emmet 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).
Emmet County, Compared
Emmet County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Emmet County's 815 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.6 pCi/L and a maximum of 45.3 pCi/L, and 15.2% reached 4 pCi/L. Michigan as a whole (83 Michigan counties, pooled) comes to 26.9%: 11.7 points higher than here.
Among its state's counties it ranks 48th of 82 Michigan counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Lenawee County reported the highest share (56.7%) and Muskegon County the lowest (3.2%).
Below the action level, 478 tests (58.7%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 46.4% statewide, and 213 tests (26.1%) fell between 2 and 4, against 26.7% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Emmet County went from 889 tests (2005 to 2014) to 815 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 12.3% to 15.2%.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Emmet County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 76% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
Next door, the shares run from 8.0% in Cheboygan County to 9.8% in Charlevoix County, with Charlevoix County and Cheboygan County below Emmet County.
CDC also counts 14 tests taken after mitigation in Emmet County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Emmet County, State data
Michigan's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat Michigan's own agencies publish about radon tests in Emmet County, with their period. These are not CDC's figures and are never added to them.
MeasuredState figures, not CDC's
What Michigan EGLE reports for the ZIP codes in Emmet County
Michigan EGLE publishes its figures by ZIP code, not by county. These are the 8 ZIP codes that lie wholly or partly in Emmet County, each with the state's own figures for it. Period: About 10 years to 2026-05-15.
| ZIP code | What the state reports |
|---|---|
| 49701 | 14% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 2.8 pCi/L, 7 tests |
| 49706 | 2% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 0.9 pCi/L, 42 tests |
| 49713 | 31% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 2.3 pCi/L, 13 tests |
| 49716 | 14% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 1.2 pCi/L, 7 tests |
| 49740 | 14% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 1.8 pCi/L, 148 tests |
| 49755 | 17% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 1.9 pCi/L, 23 tests |
| 49769 | 0% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 0.0 pCi/L, 5 tests |
| 49770 | 9% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 1.4 pCi/L, 238 tests |
- EGLE's figures cover first-time tests only, from organizations willing to provide data.
- EGLE does not publish figures for a ZIP code with fewer than 5 test results.
- EGLE says the map is not intended to decide whether a home should be tested: all homes should be tested.
- ZIP code boundaries are postal delivery areas, not legal or administrative boundaries.
- A ZIP code that crosses the county line is listed whole; its figures cover all of it.
Measured: Michigan EGLE data, About 10 years to 2026-05-15.
Emmet County, Geology
The ground under Emmet County
PredictedMost of the ground under Emmet County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 76.5% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 23.0% low. The map puts 76.5% of Emmet County in the area it calls Antrim Shale and 23.0% in Glacial lakes. USGS gives the first a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 7, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim Shale | Glacial deposits dervied in part from Antrim black shale. | Moderate | 10 | 76.5% |
| Glacial lakes | Silt and clay glacial lake deposits. | Low | 7 | 23.0% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Emmet County beside the ground around it
Across Michigan 9.6% of the land is rated high; none of Emmet County's is. Of the 2 counties that border it, 1 has more moderate-potential ground, Charlevoix County the most at 83.2%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Emmet County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Emmet County
Listed radon businesses with an address in Emmet County:
- Michigan Indoor Radon ProgramMichigan Indoor Radon Program, run by Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, does not license radon professionals, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Michigan.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 Michigan69 professionals are listed in Michigan.
Listed radon professionals by town: Petoskey
What Michigan's program says
- Phone
- 800-723-6642
- Radon@Michigan.gov
- Licensing of radon professionals
Michigan does not license or regulate radon testing and mitigation contractors.
What it means
Emmet County, Questions
Questions about radon in Emmet County
Are radon levels high in Emmet County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 15.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Emmet County, Michigan were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.6 pCi/L. Of 82 Michigan counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 47 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 26.9%.
Which counties border Emmet County?
Emmet County borders 2 counties: Charlevoix County and Cheboygan County.
Products
Emmet County, Products
Testing a home in Emmet County
In Emmet County, 15.2% of 815 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 26.9% pooled across Michigan. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Emmet County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
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
Monitor
lüft plug-in radon and indoor air quality monitor
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Approved
- Plug-in
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- App only
First reading: Within 90 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Emmet County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Emmet County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Charlevoix CountyEPA zone 2
9.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.4 pCi/L · 502 tests · 5.4 points below Emmet County
- Radon levels in Cheboygan CountyEPA zone 3
8.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.8 pCi/L · 465 tests · 7.2 points below Emmet County
Emmet County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Emmet County
About 33,775 people live in Emmet County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 337 fewer than in 2020 (−1.0%). That works out to 72 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Petoskey, the largest, has 5,772 residents, 17.1% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 815 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 24.1 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 11.3 for Michigan.
From Petoskey to Alanson, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Emmet County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petoskey | 5,772 | −1.5% | 17.1% |
| Harbor Springs | 1,255 | −1.4% | 3.7% |
| Mackinaw Cityextends beyond Emmet County | 836 | −0.9% | Counted whole |
| Pellston | 791 | −1.1% | 2.3% |
| Alanson | 783 | +0.4% | 2.3% |
5 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 Emmet County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Emmet County, Homes
Homes in Emmet County
Of Emmet County's 21,886 homes, 73% are detached houses, against 72% across Michigan; 12% are in buildings of five or more homes. Much of Emmet County is recent building: 22% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1985, against 1972 for Michigan. Owners live in 77% of the occupied homes (Michigan: 73%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Emmet County | Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 21,886 | 4,599,683 |
| Detached houses | 73% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 12% | 13% |
| Mobile homes | 6% | 5% |
| Built before 1960 | 23% | 36% |
| Built since 2000 | 22% | 15% |
| Middle year built | 1985 | 1972 |
| Owner-occupied | 77% | 73% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.