Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Tazewell County, Virginia
EPA puts Tazewell County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 40.3% of the 372 radon tests reported to CDC (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) came back 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
40.3%
9.9 pts above VA
- Tazewell
- 40.3%
- Virginia
- 30.4%
372 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.8pCi/L
Below action level
- Tazewell
- 2.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
372
34th of 84 by tests
- Tazewell
- 372
- Fairfax
- 8,657
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Virginia
26 of 84
Middle half
- Tazewell
- 40.3%
- Russell
- 67.3%
By share, of 84 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Tazewell County
Starts at Tazewell County's median, 2.8 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.8 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. Tazewell County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Tazewell County, At a glance
Tazewell County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Tazewell County in
USGS geologic potential: High across 75% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Tazewell County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 38%2 to 4 pCi/L: 22%4 pCi/L and above: 40%
Of 372 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 142 | 38.2% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 80 | 21.5% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 150 | 40.3% |
What these figures count
These are the 372 tests reported to CDC for Tazewell 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).
Tazewell County, Compared
Tazewell County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Tazewell County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (150 of 372) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 4.6 points higher. Across 131 Virginia counties pooled together, 30.4% of tests reached that level, so Tazewell County runs 9.9 points above its state.
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 33.7% (Mercer County, WV) to 67.3% (Russell County). By share, Tazewell County is 26th of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 2.8 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 168.5 pCi/L. Below the action level, 142 tests (38.2%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 44.7% statewide, and 80 tests (21.5%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.9% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 40.3% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 75% of the county's land high radon potential.
CDC's ten-year totals for Tazewell County went from 89 tests (2005 to 2014) to 372 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 61.8% to 40.3%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Tazewell County, Geology
The ground under Tazewell County
PredictedMost of the ground under Tazewell County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 75.1% of its land is high radon potential, with 24.8% moderate and 0.1% low. The map puts 75.1% of Tazewell County in the area it calls Valley and Ridge and 13.0% in Southern Appalachian Valley and Ridge, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 15, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley and Ridge | Cambrian dolomite, limestone, shale, and sandstone, Silurian-Ordovician limestone, dolomite, shale, and sandstone, Mississippian-Devonian sandstone, shale, limestone, gypsum, and coal. | High | 15 | 75.1% |
| Southern Appalachian Valley and Ridge | Ordovician-Mississippian shale, siltstone, sandstone, limestone. | Moderate | 11 | 13.0% |
| Appalachian Plateau | Pennsylvanian sandstone, shale, and coal. | Moderate | 10 | 11.8% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Tazewell County beside the ground around it
Tazewell County has more high-potential ground than Virginia as a whole: 75.1% of its land against 47.9%. Of the 6 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Bland County the most at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Tazewell County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Tazewell County
- 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
Tazewell County, Questions
Questions about radon in Tazewell County
Are radon levels high in Tazewell County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 40.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Tazewell County, Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.8 pCi/L. Of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 25 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.4%.
Which counties border Tazewell County?
Tazewell County borders 6 counties: McDowell County, WV, Smyth County, VA, Buchanan County, VA, Bland County, VA, Russell County, VA and Mercer County, WV.
Products
Tazewell County, Products
Testing a home in Tazewell County
In Tazewell County, 40.3% of 372 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 30.4% pooled across Virginia. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Tazewell County is the one to know: a long-term test (more than 90 days) or a monitor, with a short-term kit for a first answer.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Monitor
EcoBlu plug-in digital radon monitor with a display
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
Short-term kit
RA400 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Tazewell County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Tazewell County
Explore
Tazewell County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Tazewell County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Russell County, VAEPA zone 1
67.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.7 pCi/L · 49 tests · 27.0 points above Tazewell County
- Radon levels in Smyth County, VAEPA zone 1
61.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.5 pCi/L · 123 tests · 20.7 points above Tazewell County
- Radon levels in Bland County, VAEPA zone 1
46.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.6 pCi/L · 13 tests · 5.9 points above Tazewell County
- Radon levels in Mercer County, WVEPA zone 1
33.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.1 pCi/L · 101 tests · 6.6 points below Tazewell County
- Radon levels in Buchanan County, VAEPA zone 2
25.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.7 pCi/L · 20 tests · 15.3 points below Tazewell County
- Radon levels in McDowell County, WVEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 3 tests · 40.3 points below Tazewell County
Tazewell County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Tazewell County
About 38,635 people live in Tazewell County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 1,772 fewer than in 2020 (−4.4%). That works out to 74 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Richlands, the largest, has 5,051 residents, 13.1% of the total. Together its 5 incorporated places hold 40.0% of those residents; the other 60.0% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 372 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 9.6 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.0 for Virginia.
From Richlands to Pocahontas, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Tazewell County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richlands | 5,051 | −4.3% | 13.1% |
| Bluefield | 4,839 | −4.8% | 12.5% |
| Tazewell | 4,291 | −4.8% | 11.1% |
| Cedar Bluff | 1,003 | −4.5% | 2.6% |
| Pocahontas | 259 | −5.5% | 0.7% |
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).
Tazewell County, Homes
Homes in Tazewell County
Of Tazewell County's 19,804 homes, 68% are detached houses, against 61% across Virginia; 22% are mobile homes. The homes are older than Virginia's as a whole: half were built before 1974 (1984 for Virginia), and 32% date from before 1960. 73% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Virginia: 67%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Tazewell County | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 19,804 | 3,654,784 |
| Detached houses | 68% | 61% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 5% | 19% |
| Mobile homes | 22% | 4% |
| Built before 1960 | 32% | 19% |
| Built since 2000 | 12% | 25% |
| Middle year built | 1974 | 1984 |
| Owner-occupied | 73% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.