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 Norfolk city, Virginia
EPA puts Norfolk city in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and most reported tests there come back low, though 2.7% of 73 (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) reached 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
2.7%
27.7 pts below VA
- Norfolk city
- 2.7%
- Virginia
- 30.4%
73 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
0.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Norfolk city
- 0.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
73
66th of 84 by tests
- Norfolk city
- 73
- Fairfax
- 8,657
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 Virginia
84 of 84
Lowest quarter
- Norfolk city
- 2.7%
- Russell
- 67.3%
By share, of 84 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Norfolk city
Starts at Norfolk city's median, 0.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 0.5 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. Norfolk city's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Norfolk city, At a glance
Norfolk city at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 87% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Norfolk city, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 90%2 to 4 pCi/L: 7%4 pCi/L and above: 3%
Of 73 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 66 | 90.4% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 5 | 6.8% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 2 | 2.7% |
What these figures count
These are the 73 tests reported to CDC for Norfolk city 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).
Norfolk city, Compared
Norfolk city radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Only 2 of 73 radon tests reported for Norfolk city over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L (2.7%). The median result, 0.5 pCi/L, sits below 2, well under EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 7.1 pCi/L.
Across 131 Virginia counties pooled together, 30.4% of tests reached that level, so Norfolk city runs 27.7 points below its state. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 33.0 points lower. Its place in the state: 84th of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Zone 3 on EPA's map (predicted average under 2 pCi/L) and a 2.7% share point the same way here. Of 2 neighbours with a figure, all 2 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 4.3% (Virginia Beach city) to 7.0% (Chesapeake city).
Below the action level, 66 tests (90.4%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 44.7% statewide, and 5 tests (6.8%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.9% statewide. USGS geology rates 87% of the county's land low radon potential.
CDC's ten-year totals for Norfolk city went from 52 tests (2005 to 2014) to 73 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 1.9% to 2.7%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Norfolk city, Geology
The ground under Norfolk city
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Norfolk city's mapped land in one class: low radon potential. 86.8% of it lies in the area the map calls Quaternary Coastal Plain Sediments, to which USGS gives a radon index of 6, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quaternary Coastal Plain Sediments | Quaternary coastal sand and silt containing monazite. | Low | 6 | 86.8% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Norfolk city beside the ground around it
Across Virginia 47.9% of the land is rated high; none of Norfolk city's is. None of the 3 counties that border it has any moderate-potential ground either.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Norfolk city, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Norfolk city
- VDH Radon ProgramVDH Radon Program answers questions about testing, mitigation and the rules in Virginia.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 Virginia2 professionals are listed in Virginia.
What Virginia's program says
- Phone
- (804) 864-8161
- Radon@vdh.virginia.gov
- Licensing of radon professionals
The Code of Virginia requires that Radon testers and mitigators be currently certified by either the National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) or the National Radon Safety Board (NRSB).
What it means
Norfolk city, Questions
Questions about radon in Norfolk city
Are radon levels high in Norfolk city?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 2.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Norfolk city, Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.5 pCi/L. Of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 83 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.4%.
Which counties border Norfolk city?
Norfolk city borders 3 counties: Portsmouth city, Chesapeake city and Virginia Beach city.
Products
Norfolk city, Products
Testing a home in Norfolk city
In Norfolk city, 2.7% of 73 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 30.4% pooled across Virginia. 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 Norfolk city.
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
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-1011 rechargeable radon detector with a screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Norfolk city, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Norfolk city
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Chesapeake cityEPA zone 3
7.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.6 pCi/L · 43 tests · 4.3 points above Norfolk city
- Radon levels in Virginia Beach cityEPA zone 3
4.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.6 pCi/L · 46 tests · 1.6 points above Norfolk city
- Radon levels in Portsmouth cityEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.4 pCi/L · 2 tests · 2.7 points below Norfolk city
Norfolk city, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Norfolk city
About 231,013 people live in Norfolk city by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 6,846 fewer than in 2020 (−2.9%). Packed into its land, that is 4,336 people per square mile. Norfolk, its one incorporated place, has 231,013 residents, 100.0% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 73 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 0.3 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Virginia as a whole comes to 6.0.
Norfolk is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads Norfolk city's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk | 231,013 | −2.9% | 100.0% |
One incorporated place, 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).
Norfolk city, Homes
Homes in Norfolk city
Fewer than six in ten of Norfolk city's 102,542 homes are detached houses (49%, against 61% across Virginia); the rest are attached, in shared buildings or mobile. The homes are older than Virginia's as a whole: half were built before 1964 (1984 for Virginia), and 45% date from before 1960. Most occupied homes here are rented: owners live in 46% (Virginia: 67%). A tenant can run a test; a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Norfolk city | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 102,542 | 3,654,784 |
| Detached houses | 49% | 61% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 29% | 19% |
| Mobile homes | 1% | 4% |
| Built before 1960 | 45% | 19% |
| Built since 2000 | 15% | 25% |
| Middle year built | 1964 | 1984 |
| Owner-occupied | 46% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.