The bottom line
Zone 3 is a planning label, not a pass for any house.
Pikeville’s residential permits run through Tennessee’s 2018 IRC program, which adopts Appendix Q only—not Appendix F, Radon Control Methods. Unincorporated Bledsoe County appears to have no residential enforcement program. In both places, a radon system is a voluntary builder choice, not a code guarantee.
The map says lower potential. The county dataset stays blank.
EPA places Bledsoe County in Zone 3, meaning a predicted average indoor screening level below 2 pCi/L. EPA also says elevated homes occur in every zone and that the map should not decide whether a home gets tested.
<2 pCi/L modeled average
A county zone summarizes broad geology and modeling. It cannot describe the foundation, soil pathways, pressure differences, or radon level of a particular Bledsoe County home.
Two local settings, no radon mandate
Pikeville sits inside the state permit program. The unincorporated county is absent from the current state permit-required list and has no county code office identified in the research. The enforcement path differs; the radon result does not.
2018 IRC + Appendix Q
Pikeville appears on the State Fire Marshal’s list of cities where a state residential permit is required for one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses.
Appendix Q is the only IRC appendix adopted by the state rule.Appendix F—the 2018 radon appendix—is not adopted. The state rule also excludes provisions that are optional or recommended rather than mandatory.State permit list ↗ · Rule 0780-02-23 ↗
No active code program found
Bledsoe County is not among the unincorporated counties where the state requires residential permits, and no county building-codes department was found.
Likely opt-out or non-code status; the current resolution was not verified.A 2018-compiled list named Bledsoe as opted out, but opt-out status requires renewal. The current county resolution remains an open question.State opt-out explainer ↗
Radon-resistant new construction is not mandatory in the confirmed state program for Pikeville and is not enforced in the unincorporated area under the evidence found. Ask the builder whether passive radon features were installed, and test the finished home.
No Bledsoe-specific radon rule was found
The research found no county or Pikeville mandate for radon testing in public buildings, schools, or property transactions beyond Tennessee’s statewide norms.
State norms still matter.
Tennessee’s residential property-condition disclosure asks whether radon gas or another environmental hazard is present, with Yes, No, or Unknown as the responses. The form does not require a seller to perform a test, so disclosure is not a substitute for measurement.
Tennessee encourages school radon testing, but the research did not verify a statewide requirement or a Bledsoe County school policy. A bill to add radon to annual school indoor-air evaluations was located, but enactment was not confirmed.
How do I find a certified radon professional in Bledsoe County?
Tennessee doesn't license radon testers or mitigators, so national certification is the best way to check qualifications. The Tennessee Radon Program points residents to two directories: search them by ZIP code and widen the radius if nothing is listed nearby.
We don't recommend or rank companies. Before you hire, check the certification number in the directory yourself and ask for a follow-up test after any system is installed. Questions to ask a radon professional.
Make the house—not the map—the unit of evidence
Bledsoe County’s population reached an estimated 15,920 in 2025, up 6.8% from the April 2020 base. Growth and new-home interest make construction questions useful, but no local radon code guarantees the answer.
Keep a test contingency
The standard disclosure asks about radon, but the seller does not have to test.
Test new homes too
The 2018 IRC state program used in Pikeville does not adopt Appendix F.
Ask for system details
Request plans or photos showing sub-slab venting, a gas-permeable layer, and sealed penetrations.
Plan for travel
No listed certified measurement professional was based in the county; nearby supply starts outside Bledsoe.
Census QuickFacts reports a median owner-occupied home value of $189,400 for 2020–2024 and zero building permits in 2025. Those figures describe published county totals, not the radon condition of any property. TDEC’s statewide radon program offers free test kits to Tennessee homeowners. Census QuickFacts ↗ · TDEC radon program ↗
Primary records, public data, and live directories
Code records, dashboard behavior, and professional directories were reviewed October 16, 2026.
- Tennessee SFMO — Residential Permits
- SFMO — Apply for a Residential Permit
- SFMO — Opt-out and non-code jurisdictions
- Rule 0780-02-23 — One and Two Family Dwellings
- 2018 IRC rulemaking notice
- Pikeville Municipal Code, Title 12
- EPA maps of radon zones
- EPA Map of Radon Zones: Tennessee
- Tennessee Radon Testing dashboard
- NRPP Find a Professional
- NRSB Find a Professional
- Tennessee residential property-condition disclosure
- Radon in schools — 50-state review
- HB1269 bill text
- TDEC statewide radon program
- Census QuickFacts — Bledsoe County
The dashboard’s regional pre/post charts are intentionally not presented as Bledsoe County counts. The hero is an explanatory diagram, not a photograph or a specific property. No county-specific dashboard statistic was reproducible, so none is published.