The bottom line
“New” and “built to code” do not mean radon-ready here.
Unincorporated Bradley County and Cleveland both enforce the 2018 IRC, but neither adopted Appendix F, Radon Control Methods. In a Zone 1 county where the state dashboard’s reported average is above the 4.0 pCi/L action level, every home deserves its own test—including new construction.
Above the action level on the state snapshot
Bradley County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest-potential category. A zone is a broad planning signal—not a result for an individual house—but the county-labeled dashboard values reinforce the need to test.
>4 pCi/L predicted average
EPA notes that elevated homes occur in every zone. The only way to know a home’s level is to measure it.
Two code systems, the same practical result
The county and Cleveland enforce their own 2018 residential codes. Each adoption names an appendix list. Neither list includes the radon appendix.
Bradley County + Charleston
Resolution 2022-47 was adopted August 15, 2022 and took effect October 31, 2022. It applies in unincorporated Bradley County and the City of Charleston through an enforcement agreement.
“Including the following appendices: Appendix Q – Tiny Houses.”Appendix F is not adopted, and “radon” does not appear in the 13-page resolution. The county’s own Building Inspections office enforces the code.Read Resolution 2022-47 ↗ · Building Inspections ↗
City of Cleveland
Ordinances #2020-03 and #2020-04, adopted in January 2020, moved Cleveland to the 2018 code cycle. The city’s Building Division enforces its own codes.
2018 IRC with Appendix E onlyAppendix E covers manufactured housing used as dwellings. Appendix F is absent. The city also excludes residential sprinklers for one- and two-family dwellings.Cleveland Title 12 ↗ · Current code list ↗
Radon-resistant new construction is optional throughout the two confirmed enforcement systems. A builder may install protective features voluntarily, but the code does not guarantee a passive system, fan-ready wiring, or a post-construction radon test.
No Bradley-specific radon mandate was found
The research found no county or Cleveland rule requiring radon testing in public buildings, schools, or real-estate transactions beyond Tennessee’s statewide norms.
That is a research finding—not proof of no unpublished policy.
Tennessee encourages school radon testing but does not mandate it. A 2017–18 bill that would have added radon to annual school indoor-air evaluations was found, but no evidence that it became law. School-level testing records for Bradley County Schools and Cleveland City Schools were not located.
For property sales, Tennessee does not require a seller to conduct a radon test or make a radon-specific disclosure. Known material defects remain subject to state disclosure law, and buyers can make radon testing part of due diligence.
State school-law review ↗ · HB1269 text ↗ · East Tennessee sales overview ↗
How do I find a certified radon professional in Bradley 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 radon an explicit part of due diligence
Bradley County is growing, national builders are active, and the code does not require radon-ready construction. Buyers should not treat age, price, or a new-home label as a substitute for a house-specific test.
Keep a testing contingency
Tennessee does not require a seller to test. Put measurement inside the inspection window.
Test new construction
Neither county nor Cleveland adoption includes the radon appendix.
Verify “radon-ready”
Ask for plans and system components rather than relying on a marketing phrase.
Schedule early
The nearest listed measurement professionals are 13–20 miles away.
Census QuickFacts reports about 788 building permits in 2025. The Cleveland/Bradley Chamber reports 837 residential permits in 2025, up from 741 in 2022, 663 in 2023, and 723 in 2024, with $220 million in 2025 residential permit value. The two counts come from different source series and are presented as published, not merged. National builders are active in Bradley County, including Lennar’s Summit View and D.R. Horton’s Fairview Hills and Belcourt Landing. Census QuickFacts ↗ · Chamber permit series ↗ · New-construction listings ↗
TDEC offers free radon test kits to Tennessee homeowners. Request a TDEC kit ↗
Primary records, public data, and live directories
Code records, dashboard tooltips, and professional directories were reviewed October 16, 2026.
- Bradley County Resolution 2022-47
- Bradley County Building Inspections
- Cleveland Building Division
- Cleveland Municipal Code, Title 12
- MTAS Statewide Building Standards
- Tennessee Residential Permits
- Tennessee Radon Testing dashboard
- EPA Map of Radon Zones
- EPA Tennessee radon zone map
- EPA Map of Radon Zones: Tennessee
- NRPP Find a Professional
- NRSB Find a Professional
- Radon and Home Sales in East Tennessee
- Tennessee property-condition disclosure form
- Radon in Schools state-law review
- Tennessee HB1269
- TDEC free radon test-kit request
- Census QuickFacts — Bradley County
- Cleveland/Bradley Chamber permit data
- Bradley County new-construction listings
- 2018 IRC Appendix F
The dashboard’s pre/post charts are health-region aggregates and are intentionally not reproduced as Bradley County counts. The hero is an explanatory illustration, not a photograph or a specific property.