Zone 1
Highest predicted potential
EPA's county map places Hancock County in the top radon-potential category.7
The short answer
High predicted potential. No verified county average.
The strongest local fact is the Zone 1 designation. The most important data fact is what cannot honestly be claimed.
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County dashboard values
No Hancock County average, median, or maximum was verified. Five hover attempts resolved to neighboring counties.6
2022–23
Dashboard period
The Tennessee testing dashboard's “All” filter covers these two years; its band charts aggregate by health region, not county.6
!
Do not use a zone map as a test result. Zone 1 is a planning signal. Two houses beside each other can test differently; the only way to know a home's radon level is to test it.
Building-code reality
No local radon mandate could be verified.
That is not the same as proving no rule exists. It means the online record does not establish a current county or town requirement.
Open question
Unincorporated Hancock County
Hancock County is absent from the State Fire Marshal's current list of places where a state residential permit is required.3
- Its opt-out resolution or locally enforced residential code was not found online.
- A call to the County Clerk or State Fire Marshal would confirm the current path.
Open question
Town of Sneedville
Sneedville is also absent from the state-permit list, and no current municipal code edition or appendix list could be verified.3
- A 2011 table marked Sneedville “EXEMPT,” but that record is too old to establish today's code.
- City Hall would need to confirm the enforced edition and whether a radon appendix was adopted.
Verified state baseline
Where Tennessee enforces
Tennessee's residential rule adopts the 2018 IRC body and Appendix Q. It excludes optional provisions; the 2018 radon appendix is Appendix F.1
- That makes radon-resistant construction optional under the state baseline.
- This baseline does not establish what Hancock County or Sneedville separately enforces.
No local rule found
Schools, public buildings & sales
No Hancock County- or Sneedville-specific radon rule was found online for these settings.
For owners and buyers
Test the home you have—not the county average you do not.
Sneedville's housing stock skews older, with effectively no homes shown as built since 2014 in the cited ACS-based profile. The practical focus is existing homes.16
Start with a test
Request a free home radon test kit from the Tennessee Radon Program, or hire a certified measurement professional.13
Build testing into the deal
For a purchase, add a radon inspection contingency rather than treating the seller's disclosure as a substitute for testing.12
Allow for rural logistics
No directory-listed measurement professional was based in Hancock County. Professional testing may mean travel charges or longer scheduling lead times.
Resolve any elevated result
Use a qualified professional to interpret the test and plan mitigation. A Zone 1 label alone does not tell you whether a specific home needs work.
How do I find a certified radon professional in Hancock 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.
Questions answered
Hancock County radon FAQ
Is Hancock County in a high-radon area?
Yes. EPA designates Hancock County as Radon Zone 1, the category with the highest predicted indoor-radon potential. That forecast does not replace a home test.7
Is radon-resistant construction required in Hancock County?
No requirement could be verified online. Hancock County is not on the State Fire Marshal's current state-permit list, and the county's code or opt-out resolution was not found. Sneedville's current code and appendices also remain unverified.34
What is Hancock County's average radon level?
No average is published here. Repeated attempts to isolate Hancock County on Tennessee's 2022–2023 testing dashboard landed on Hawkins or Greene County, so no Hancock values could be responsibly asserted.6
Where can I get a radon test?
Tennessee's Radon Program offers free test kits. Professional testing is also available, though the NRPP and NRSB searches checked on October 16, 2026 found no listed measurement professional based in Hancock County.13
Sources & verification notes
Primary rules and state program pages are prioritized. Directory and dashboard findings are dated because they can change.
- Tennessee Rule 0780-02-23 — 2018 IRC plus Appendix Q; effective July 16, 2020.
- AIA Tennessee code-adoption update — 2025 state package context.
- State Fire Marshal residential-permit jurisdictions — live checked October 16, 2026.
- State Fire Marshal residential FAQs — local enforcement and opt-out pathways.
- 2011 MTAS jurisdiction table — historical only; not treated as current.
- Tennessee Radon Testing dashboard — live checked October 16, 2026.
- EPA radon-zone information — Tennessee county zone mapping.
- NRPP professional directory search — checked from ZIP 37869 on October 16, 2026.
- NRSB professional directory — measurement-specialist search checked October 16, 2026.
- Peer-reviewed 50-state school radon policy review.
- Tennessee HB 1269 — proposed school IAQ/radon testing language.
- Tennessee residential property condition disclosure.
- TDEC Radon Program free test-kit request.
- Hancock County population profile.
- Sneedville population profile.
- Sneedville ACS-based housing profile.