Put radon in the inspection contingency
Tennessee buyer guidance specifically recommends including radon among inspection contingencies. No Fentress-specific disclosure addendum was found.12
01
The buyer plan
Treat radon testing as ordinary due diligence in every Fentress County purchase—including new construction, homes with no basement, and second homes.
The local code map has gaps; your purchase contract should not.
Test new construction too
Unincorporated Fentress County has no residential code enforcement, and neither Allardt's state standard nor Jamestown's published code produces an effective radon requirement.
Ask what was installed—then verify
If a builder says a home is radon-ready, ask what system was installed and where it terminates. A finished feature list is not a substitute for a post-construction test.
02
Code reality
The result is the same across the county—no mandatory radon-resistant construction—but the legal path differs by jurisdiction.
Unincorporated Fentress CountyNo residential enforcement
Fentress is absent from the State Fire Marshal's list of counties where state residential permits are required. New one- and two-family dwellings outside city limits therefore have no state residential permit or inspection requirement.2
Owners in an opt-out jurisdiction may voluntarily request a State Fire Marshal inspection for a certificate of occupancy.3
JamestownPublished code is old
The available municipal code adopts the 2006 IRC “including all appendix chapters.” Its radon appendix applies only where the jurisdiction designates; no Jamestown designation was found, and Fentress is not in the IRC's Tennessee Zone 1 list.58
The codification is dated July 11, 2011. A newer code edition or later ordinance could not be verified online.
AllardtState standard
03
Risk & data
The zone designation is clear. The county's dashboard statistics are not.
2
County dashboard metrics withheld
Average—
Median—
Maximum—
Two verified Fentress tooltip loads exposed only one legible value, 1.4, positioned after the median label. Because the dashboard's accessibility tree also produced impossible label/value pairings on another county, 1.4 is not published here as a confirmed median.11
The dashboard's pre- and post-mitigation bar charts show the Upper Cumberland Region, not Fentress County alone. Regional counts must not be presented as county counts.
How do I find a certified radon professional in Fentress 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.
04
Housing context
Fentress County is growing, but the permit count captures very little construction activity in a county where unincorporated areas do not require residential permits.
20,322July 1, 2025 population estimate
+9.9%population change since April 2020
8building permits recorded for 2025
Those Census figures sit beside an 82.6% owner-occupancy rate and a median owner-occupied home value of $168,200.13 The mismatch between growth and permits is consistent with construction occurring in code-free unincorporated areas, but the permit count alone cannot identify every new home.
The practical takeaway
A house marketed as “new” in Fentress County is not guaranteed by local code to include radon-resistant features. Test it. For a low-cost first step, the Tennessee Radon Program offers free test kits to residents.14
05
Questions buyers ask
Is radon-resistant construction required in Fentress County?
No effective requirement was confirmed anywhere in the county. Unincorporated areas have no residential code enforcement; Allardt follows a state standard without the radon appendix; Jamestown's published adoption does not designate Fentress as an area where the appendix applies.
What EPA radon zone is Fentress County in?
Zone 2, the moderate-potential category. The designation is regional, so it cannot tell you the radon level in a specific house.
Should I test a newly built home?
Yes. Local code does not guarantee radon-resistant features, and construction age cannot establish the indoor radon level.
Are certified testers based in the county?
None appeared in the NRPP or NRSB directory searches performed October 16, 2026. The nearest NRPP listings were about 48 miles away in Oak Ridge.
Does Tennessee require the seller to test?
No radon-specific testing mandate was identified. Tennessee buyer guidance recommends including radon in inspection contingencies, so buyers should negotiate testing rather than assume it has been done.
06
Sources
- TN State Fire Marshal — Residential PermitsState code edition; checked live Oct. 16, 2026
- Apply for a Residential PermitPermit-required cities and counties; checked live Oct. 16, 2026
- Opt-Out / Non-Code JurisdictionsState Fire Marshal guidance
- Tennessee Rule 0780-02-232018 IRC and Appendix Q adoption
- Jamestown Municipal Code, Title 12MTAS codification, Change 1, July 11, 2011
- EPA Map of Radon Zones: TennesseeFentress listed as Zone 2
- EPA Map of Radon Zones: TennesseeIndependent Zone 2 corroboration
- 2024 IRC Appendix BERadon control scope and Tennessee Zone 1 table
- NRPP Find a ProfessionalDirectory checked live Oct. 16, 2026
- NRSB Find a ProfessionalRMS directory checked live Oct. 16, 2026
- Tennessee Radon Testing dashboardFentress tooltip checked on two loads Oct. 16, 2026
- Tennessee property-disclosure instructionsBuyer inspection-contingency guidance
- U.S. Census QuickFacts — Fentress CountyPopulation, housing and permit figures
- Tennessee Radon ProgramFree test kits and state guidance