Unincorporated Cannon County
2018 IRC + 2018 IECC. County administration began October 16, 2023. The separate 2024 IBC adoption covers commercial, industrial, and multifamily work.
Appendix F unverified01
The signal is reassuring—but incomplete
Cannon County is mapped as EPA Zone 2, meaning moderate radon potential. The Tennessee dashboard’s county tooltip is lower than that broad prediction, but the tooltip provides no sample size.
“Test the specific house” is the only conclusion the data can support.
The values below are confirmed tooltip fields, not county-wide guarantees. The dashboard’s separate band charts are Upper Cumberland Region aggregates—not Cannon County test counts.
0.9 pCi/LAverage
0.8 pCi/LMedian
1.3 pCi/LMaximum
Readings against the 4.0 pCi/L action level
Important:The dashboard tooltip gives no test count. These low, tightly clustered readings may reflect a very small sample. The median was populated at 0.8 on two matching reads; one earlier read showed that field blank.
Do not use the health-region band charts as county data. Selecting Cannon narrows those charts to the Upper Cumberland Region aggregate, not to Cannon County.
02
New construction is not confirmed radon-resistant
Unincorporated Cannon County enforces the 2018 IRC, but no published appendix list names Appendix F, Radon Control Methods. Without the adopting resolution, radon-resistant construction should be treated as optional—not mandatory.
Woodbury
The only published municipal code found uses 1994-era Standard codes and has no residential-code chapter. A 2012 proposal to add the 2006 IRC could not be traced to adoption.
Current code unknownAuburntown
No municipal building code, permit program, or code-enforcement publication was found online. The town charter was the only located municipal document.
Posture unknownOct. 16, 2023
Cannon County took over residential code administration from the State Fire Marshal for unincorporated areas.
March 6, 2025
Resolution 2025-3 adopted the 2024 International Building Code for commercial, industrial, and multifamily permitting. County residential materials still list the 2018 IRC.
The legal hinge
Under 2018 IRC §R102.5, appendix provisions do not apply unless the adopting ordinance specifically references them. No published Cannon County appendix list was found.
Buyer takeaway: do not assume a newly built home includes a passive radon system. Ask the builder whether 2018 IRC Appendix F features were installed, then test after occupancy.
How do I find a certified radon professional in Cannon 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.
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A buyer’s practical playbook
Cannon is a small, mostly existing-home market: about 15,296 residents, 5.4% growth since 2020, and 92 building permits in 2025. Statewide disclosure helps, but it does not replace measurement.
- 1Add a radon inspection contingency.
Tennessee’s statewide residential disclosure asks whether the seller knows of radon gas and advises buyers to include radon inspection contingencies.
- 2Test new homes too.
Cannon’s radon appendix was not verified as adopted. New construction should not be presumed radon-ready.
- 3Choose the test for the transaction.
A free TDEC kit is a practical homeowner screening route. For a time-sensitive purchase, use an NRPP- or NRSB-credentialed measurement professional.
- 4Judge the house, not the county average.
EPA Zone 2 and the missing dashboard sample count matter more than a reassuring-looking 0.9 average.
Start with a free Tennessee test kit
TDEC provides free radon test kits to Tennessee homeowners.
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Radon testing resources
Start with a test, use a qualified professional when timing or conditions call for one, and get help if the result is elevated.
Test your home
- Free test kit from TDEC, Tennessee’s radon program.
- Buy a kit by phone: 1-800-SOS-RADON (1-800-767-7236).
- Live help with your questions: 1-800-55RADON (1-800-557-2366).
- Find a certified pro: NRPP 800-269-4174 · NRSB 866-329-3474.
If your result comes back high
- 1-800-644-6999 — the Fix-It Hotline, for general guidance on lowering radon in your home.
Learn more
Why it matters
- Radon causes about 21,000 U.S. lung cancer deaths a year — the second-leading cause overall and the number-one cause among people who never smoked.
- At 4 pCi/L, EPA estimates about 62 in 1,000 smokers could get lung cancer from lifetime exposure, versus about 7 in 1,000 people who never smoked.
- About 1 in 15 homes has high radon.
- Retest at least every 2 years if you have a mitigation system, and after renovations or changes to how you use the lowest floor. EPA recommends taking action at 4 pCi/L and considering action between 2 and 4 pCi/L.
Hotline information: EPA and CDC. Health statistics and testing cadence: American Lung Association. Action levels: EPA.
05
Source trail
Primary materials and live directories were checked on October 15, 2026. Links below lead to the underlying public sources.
Radon data and risk
- Tennessee Radon Testing dashboard — Cannon tooltip and health-region chart behavior.
- EPA Map of Radon Zones — zone definitions.
- EPA Map of Radon Zones: Tennessee — Cannon County Zone 2 listing.
Building codes
- Cannon County Building Codes — 2018 IRC/IECC and county enforcement start.
- Cannon County Building Permit FAQs.
- Official Zoning and Building Codes Resolution — Article XIII and adoption-by-reference structure.
- Resolution 2025-3 reporting — 2024 IBC commercial adoption.
- Woodbury municipal code, Title 12.
- 2018 IRC §R102.5 — appendix adoption rule.