Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Washoe County, Nevada
What this means for you
- Your area: EPA rates Washoe County Zone 2, the middle of its three radon zones. That is a prediction for the whole county, and homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones.
- Local tests: Of 5,046 radon tests reported to CDC for Washoe County (2008 to 2017), 22.2% were at or above 4 pCi/L, EPA's action level.
- Your home: The only way to know your home’s level is to test it.
pCi/L (picocuries per liter) is the unit radon is measured in. EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above, its action level.
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 22.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Washoe County, Nevada came back at or above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L, and the median result was 1.9 pCi/L. EPA's Map of Radon Zones places the county in Zone 2, moderate predicted potential. Radon levels vary from home to home, so only a test measures the level in yours.
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
EPA predicts an average indoor of 2 to 4 pCi/L (75 to 150 Bq/m³) across the county as a whole.
This is a county-level geologic prediction. It is not a measurement of any address, and houses with elevated radon are found in all three zones.
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 58% of the county's land area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Washoe County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
- Tests reported
- 5,046
- At or above 4 pCi/L
- 22.2%
- Median result
- 1.9 pCi/L
Of 5,046 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area. CDC publishes the share in each band, not a count per band, so the per-band counts in the table are calculated by Radon411 and rounded to add up to the published total.
| Result band | Tests Calculated by Radon411 | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 2,614 | 51.8% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 1,312 | 26.0% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 1,120 | 22.2% |
Distribution of tested buildings, not this house. People testing before a sale, or because they suspect a problem, are over-represented in any reported testing data.
Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2008 to 2017, laboratory. Measured data period: 2005 to 2017 (every CDC figure on file).
Washoe County, In figures
Washoe County in figures
What the published data says about Washoe County, in words. A zone and a share of tests describe an area, never the level in any one home.
Predicted
PredictedEPA places Washoe County in Zone 2, moderate predicted potential, as it does 6 other counties of Nevada's 17.
Of the 13 bordering counties, EPA places Carson City, Lyon County and Pershing County in Zone 1, Churchill County, Harney County, Humboldt County, Lake County, Nevada County, Placer County, Sierra County and Storey County in Zone 2 and Lassen County and Modoc County in Zone 3.
Reported tests
MeasuredCDC publishes no annual figure for Washoe County; its figure is a laboratory total for 2008 to 2017: 22.2% of 5,046 reported tests were at or above 4 pCi/L.
Local record
Nevada's radon program is the Nevada Radon Education Program, run by University Of Nevada, Reno; its contacts are under Local resources.
The county's largest incorporated places are Reno and Sparks; the figures here cover them as part of the county.
Washoe County, State data
Nevada's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat Nevada's own agencies publish about radon tests in Washoe County, with their period. These are not CDC's figures and are never added to them.
What the Nevada Radon Education Program reports for the ZIP codes in Washoe County
The Nevada Radon Education Program publishes its figures by ZIP code, not by county. These are the 25 ZIP codes that lie wholly or partly in Washoe County, each with the state's own figures for it. Period: 1989-2015.
| ZIP code | What the state reports |
|---|---|
| 89402 | average 4.1 pCi/L |
| 89405 | average 1.3 pCi/L |
| 89412 | average 4.2 pCi/L |
| 89431 | average 2.9 pCi/L |
| 89433 | average 1.7 pCi/L |
| 89434 | average 1.5 pCi/L |
| 89436 | average 2.0 pCi/L |
| 89439 | average 10.2 pCi/L |
| 89441 | average 2.8 pCi/L |
| 89442 | average 2.7 pCi/L |
| 89451 | average 4.2 pCi/L |
| 89501 | average 7.2 pCi/L |
| 89502 | average 2.9 pCi/L |
| 89503 | average 2.6 pCi/L |
| 89506 | average 2.2 pCi/L |
| 89508 | average 3.2 pCi/L |
| 89509 | average 5.7 pCi/L |
| 89510 | average 5.7 pCi/L |
| 89511 | average 3.8 pCi/L |
| 89512 | average 3.4 pCi/L |
| 89519 | average 2.2 pCi/L |
| 89521 | average 2.0 pCi/L |
| 89523 | average 2.2 pCi/L |
| 89703 | average 6.1 pCi/L |
| 89704 | average 4.2 pCi/L |
- NBMG says the results are based on independently tested homes, not scientific sampling.
- The service publishes an average for each ZIP code but no count of tests.
- Site specific testing is the only way to determine local radon concentrations.
- A ZIP code that crosses the county line is listed whole; its figures cover all of it.
Measured: Nevada Radon Education Program data, 1989-2015.
Washoe County, Comparison
How Washoe County compares
MeasuredWashoe County's own published CDC figures beside those of the counties that border it, for the same period.
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
Measured2008 to 2017, laboratory, highest first. Each county’s own published CDC figure.
- Pershing CountyNV25 tests52.0%
- Carson CityNV731 tests40.6%
- Humboldt CountyNV65 tests32.3%
- Lyon CountyNV303 tests30.4%
- Nevada CountyCA260 tests25.0%
- Washoe CountyThis page5,046 tests22.2%
- Harney CountyOR5 tests20.0%
- Storey CountyNV34 tests17.6%
- Churchill CountyNV161 tests12.4%
- Placer CountyCA283 tests7.4%
- Lake CountyOR4 tests0.0%
- Lassen CountyCA4 tests0.0%
- Sierra CountyCA1 test0.0%
Median reported result
Measured2008 to 2017, laboratory, highest first. Each county’s own published CDC figure.
- Pershing CountyNV25 tests4.2 pCi/L
- Carson CityNV731 tests3.3 pCi/L
- Lyon CountyNV303 tests2.6 pCi/L
- Humboldt CountyNV65 tests2.3 pCi/L
- Storey CountyNV34 tests2.3 pCi/L
- Churchill CountyNV161 tests2.1 pCi/L
- Nevada CountyCA260 tests2.0 pCi/L
- Washoe CountyThis page5,046 tests1.9 pCi/L
- Sierra CountyCA1 test1.2 pCi/L
- Lassen CountyCA4 tests1.1 pCi/L
- Placer CountyCA283 tests1.1 pCi/L
- Harney CountyOR5 tests0.7 pCi/L
- Lake CountyOR4 tests0.3 pCi/L
Each figure is that county’s own published CDC figure for 2008 to 2017, laboratory, counting radon tests reported to CDC, not homes. Washoe County is this page. Nothing is averaged or combined across counties. The test count beside each county is CDC’s published number of pre-mitigation tests behind its figures. Figures from few tests can swing widely from year to year. No published CDC figure for 2008 to 2017, laboratory: Modoc County, CA. Every Nevada county’s own figure is in the Nevada county table.
CDC publishes this figure only for counties here, so there is no state or national number to compare Washoe County, Nevada with.
Washoe County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Washoe County
Calculated by Radon41113 counties share a boundary with Washoe County, computed from Census county geometry. Radon potential follows geology rather than county lines, so a bordering county’s report can be worth reading alongside this one.
- Lassen CountyCAZone 3: Lower predicted potential
- Pershing CountyNVZone 1: Highest predicted potential
- Storey CountyNVZone 2: Moderate predicted potential
- Sierra CountyCAZone 2: Moderate predicted potential
- Modoc CountyCAZone 3: Lower predicted potential
- Humboldt CountyNVZone 2: Moderate predicted potential
- Carson CityNVZone 1: Highest predicted potential
- Churchill CountyNVZone 2: Moderate predicted potential
- Lyon CountyNVZone 1: Highest predicted potential
- Nevada CountyCAZone 2: Moderate predicted potential
- Placer CountyCAZone 2: Moderate predicted potential
- Lake CountyORZone 2: Moderate predicted potential
- Harney CountyORZone 2: Moderate predicted potential
Washoe County, Local resources
Local resources in Nevada
Who to ask in Nevada: the state's radon program, test kits and professionals.
Nevada Radon Education Program
University Of Nevada, Reno
Nevada’s radon program answers questions about testing, mitigation and the rules where you live.
- chrisk@unr.edu
Test kits
The program says: The program offers literature, maps, educational presentations and low-cost radon test kits.
Radon professionals
No professionals are listed in Nevada yet. The state program can point you to registered testers and mitigators.
See the Nevada directoryWashoe County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Washoe County
The radon figures on this page are for Washoe County as a whole. They do not differ by city or town.
- Sparks
2 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files.
Washoe County, Questions
Questions about radon in Washoe County
Common questions8 questions, answered from the figures above
Are radon levels high in Washoe County?
In 2017, 22.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Washoe County, Nevada were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.9 pCi/L. That is a share of reported tests, not of homes. EPA places Washoe County in Zone 2, moderate predicted potential, a predicted average indoor screening level 2 to 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so the figures describe the area, not your house. Testing is the only way to know the radon level in a specific building.
How do I get a radon test in Washoe County?
EPA says you can test your home yourself or hire a qualified radon test company, and that either approach takes only a small amount of time and effort. No certified tester listed on Radon411 names Washoe County as a service area yet. The Nevada radon program is the place to ask about certified testers and any test kit offer it runs.
How to test a homeTest kits comparedFree and low-cost kits by stateNevada radon program
Who does radon mitigation in Washoe County?
Radon411 has no certified mitigators listed for Nevada yet. EPA recommends having a qualified contractor fix a home with a radon problem, because lowering high radon levels takes technical knowledge and special skills, and some states require the work to be done by a licensed or certified professional. Your state radon program is the place to check whether Nevada requires one.
How radon mitigation worksWhat mitigation costsNevada radon program
What EPA radon zone is Washoe County in?
EPA places Washoe County, Nevada in Zone 2, which EPA describes as moderate predicted potential for the area. A zone is a prediction for the whole county and never determines whether a particular home should be tested. EPA recommends testing every home regardless of zone.
Should I test my home in Washoe County?
Yes. Testing is the only way to know the radon level in a specific building. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. How to test a home.
When is the best time of year to test?
EPA says short-term tests stay in the home from 2 to 90 days and that all radon tests should run a minimum of 48 hours; long-term tests stay more than 90 days. EPA's guides do not name a best season: they say radon levels tend to vary from day to day and season to season, so a long-term test is more likely than a short-term test to tell you the year-round average.
What does it cost to test?
EPA's Citizen's Guide calls testing easy and inexpensive, and EPA's Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide says passive short-term and long-term devices are generally inexpensive, while active devices may cost more. No national average price is published for this, so Radon411 does not give one. What testing costs.
Which counties border Washoe County?
Washoe County borders 13 counties, derived from Census county geometry. Radon potential follows geology rather than county lines, so a bordering county's report can be relevant.
What these figures mean if you own, buy, sell or rent
The reported-test figures on this page describe Washoe County, Nevada in 2017. They describe tests other people carried out in other buildings, and none of them measures yours.
- How to test a home
If you own your home
Test the lowest lived-in level; a short-term kit screens in days, a long-term kit reflects the year.
- Buying a house: radon guide
If you are buying
Ask for past results and any system's post-mitigation test, and test during the sale.
- Selling a house: radon guide
If you are selling
Testing before you list puts the timing in your hands; disclosure rules differ by state.
- Radon in rental homes
If you rent, or rent out a home
A tenant can test; a fix is the owner's to make, and duties differ by state.
How long a test has to run, under what conditions, and what EPA says a result means: the testing standard, in full.
Washoe County, Products
Testing and mitigation products
Whatever the figures for Washoe County show, only a test tells you about one home.
Testing
- Short-term test kitsPassive detectors exposed for a few days under closed-building conditions, then analyzed by a lab.
- Long-term test kitsDetectors exposed for more than 90 days, for a closer picture of the annual average.
- Continuous monitorsPowered devices that log radon on a repeating cycle, often used for transaction tests.
- Digital detectorsConsumer devices that display a running radon reading without a lab.
- Water radon testsKits for radon dissolved in well water, analyzed by a lab.
Mitigation
- Mitigation fansThe inline fan that keeps a soil depressurization system running, sized by the installer.
- System indicatorsU-tube manometers and fan alarms that show whether a mitigation system is still working.
- Sealing materialsCrack, joint and sump sealing used alongside a mitigation system, not instead of one.
Washoe County / Next steps
What to do next
Learn
Know what radon is
What radon is, how it gets indoors, and why a county zone is not a reading for your home.
Learn about radonTest
Test the building you live in
Short-term or long-term, where the device goes, and closed-house conditions.
How to testFix
Bring a high level down
How a mitigation system works, and the retest that confirms it.
How mitigation worksFind a pro
Hire a certified professional
Measurement and mitigation professionals by state, with their certifications.
Find a professional
Informational. Follow EPA guidance. EPA says all radon tests should be taken for a minimum of 48 hours, with windows and doors closed from 12 hours before a short-term test.