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 Lee County, North Carolina
EPA puts Lee County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 10 radon tests from it are on file with CDC (2022). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
1.1%
21.5 pts below NC
- Lee
- 1.1%
- NC
- 22.6%
93 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
0.9pCi/L
Below action level
- Lee
- 0.9 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
93
61st of 75 by tests
- Lee
- 93
- Wake
- 9,694
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 NC
67 of 75
Lowest quarter
- Lee
- 1.1%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Lee County
Starts at Lee 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. Lee County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Lee County, At a glance
Lee County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 89% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Lee County, 2022
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 6.7% |
| 2020 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.0% |
2022: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 6.7%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 10 tests were reported to CDC for Lee County over 2022, and tests are often run on homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: so few describe neither the county nor this house.
Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2022. Measured data period: 2005 to 2022 (every CDC figure on file).
Lee County, Compared
Lee County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Only 1 of 93 radon tests reported for Lee County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L (1.1%). The median result, 0.9 pCi/L, sits below 2, well under EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 4.3 pCi/L.
The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 10 tests (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 93-test figure.
Across 99 North Carolina counties pooled together, 22.6% of tests reached that level, so Lee County runs 21.5 points below its state. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 34.6 points lower. Its place in the state: 67th of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Zone 3 on EPA's map (predicted average under 2 pCi/L) and a 1.1% share point the same way here. Of 3 neighbours with a figure, 2 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 1 a smaller one; the spread is 0.6% (Harnett County) to 19.2% (Moore County).
Below the action level, 80 tests (86.0%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 12 tests (12.9%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide. USGS geology rates 89% of the county's land low radon potential.
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 30 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 10.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Lee County, Geology
The ground under Lee County
PredictedMost of the ground under Lee County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 89.3% of its land is low radon potential, with 10.7% moderate. The map puts 62.5% of Lee County in the area it calls Sanford-Durham Sub-Basins and 17.7% in Inner Coastal Plain, with 2 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives both a radon index of 8, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford-Durham Sub-Basins | Arkosic sandstone, siltstone and conglomerate. | Low | 8 | 62.5% |
| Inner Coastal Plain | Fossiliferous clay and sand, shelly sand, sandy marl, and limestone. | Low | 8 | 17.7% |
| Raleigh Belt | Proterozoic through Cambrian biotite gneiss and mica schist. | Moderate | 11 | 10.7% |
| Eastern Slate Belt | Proterozoic to Cambrian metamudstone and argillite, interbedded with metamorphosed sandstone, conglomerate, and volcanic rock. | Low | 8 | 9.1% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Lee County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Lee County's is. Of the 3 counties that border it, 1 has more moderate-potential ground, Harnett County the most at 11.9%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Lee County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Lee County
- North Carolina Radon ProgramNorth Carolina Radon Program, run by NCDHHS, answers questions about testing, mitigation and the rules in North Carolina.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 North Carolina2 professionals are listed in North Carolina.
What North Carolina's program says
- Licensing of radon professionals
The North Carolina Radon Program is presently developing a Radon Proficiency Program as directed by Session Law 2023-91 House Bill 782 .
What it means
Lee County, Questions
Questions about radon in Lee County
Are radon levels high in Lee County?
In 2022, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Lee County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.1 pCi/L. Of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 66 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Lee County?
Lee County borders 3 counties: Moore County, Chatham County and Harnett County.
Products
Lee County, Products
Testing a home in Lee County
In Lee County, 1.1% of 93 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 22.6% pooled across North Carolina. 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 Lee 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-3699 radon monitor with a 2.1-inch touchscreen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 1 hour
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Lee County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Lee County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Moore CountyEPA zone 3
19.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.3 pCi/L · 99 tests · 18.1 points above Lee County
- Radon levels in Chatham CountyEPA zone 3
10.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.1 pCi/L · 587 tests · 9.8 points above Lee County
- Radon levels in Harnett CountyEPA zone 3
0.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.6 pCi/L · 181 tests · 0.5 points below Lee County
Lee County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Lee County
Lee County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 70,258 residents on July 1, 2025, up 10.8% from 63,388 in 2020. That works out to 275 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Sanford, has 34,138 residents, 48.6% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 93 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 1.3 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where North Carolina as a whole comes to 6.5.
From Sanford to Broadway, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Lee County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford | 34,138 | +12.9% | 48.6% |
| Broadwayextends beyond Lee County | 1,380 | +8.4% | Counted whole |
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). A place that extends beyond Lee County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Lee County, Homes
Homes in Lee County
Of Lee County's 26,854 homes, 68% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 14% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1988, close to North Carolina's 1990: 13% date from before 1960 and 30% from 2000 or later. 66% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (North Carolina: 66%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Lee County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 26,854 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 68% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 9% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 14% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 13% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 30% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1988 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 66% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.