EPA potential
Zone 1
Predicted average indoor screening level above 4 pCi/L — the highest-potential category.
What the evidence says
EPA’s zone map describes regional potential, not the reading in any one building. Every home can test high or low regardless of zone; a short-term test is the decision-grade evidence.
EPA radon zone
1
Highest potential. Moore County’s designation is independently corroborated by the EPA map, City-Data’s Tennessee zone table, and RadonResources.
Do not mistake a blank for a low reading
The county dashboard result is unresolved.- The state Tableau dashboard could not be checked after the live browser session failed.
- The earlier 0.8 / 0.5 / 0.8 tooltip transcription remains suspect.
- RadonResources shows no county average, consistent with very sparse testing.
- The state dashboard’s band charts may be regional aggregates rather than county results.
Publication decision: no Moore County average, median, maximum, test count, or percentage is stated here.
Building codes
One government. One unresolved appendix question.
Lynchburg’s boundaries coincide with Moore County. There is no separate city-versus-unincorporated split to analyze.
01
An active permits office exists
The Metropolitan Government of Lynchburg, Moore County has a Building Permits–Planning department. FY2024 records show $72,640 in building-permit revenue. The office’s public page does not state a code edition or appendix list.
02
No local IRC edition is verified
Public sources did not establish the adopted IRC edition, ordinance or resolution number, effective date, appendix list, or whether the metro government is locally exempt from — or opted out of — state residential enforcement.
03
The statewide standard does not settle it
Tennessee’s state rules exclude optional provisions. The IRC radon provisions are appendices: Appendix F in the 2018 IRC and Appendix AF in the 2021 IRC. That means the statewide residential standard does not by itself require radon-resistant construction. A named local adoption could — but none was verified.
The four questions that close the gap
Ask which code editions are enforced; whether the IRC radon appendix (F, AF, or BE) is adopted; the adoption instrument and effective date; and whether Metro Lynchburg/Moore holds a Local Government Residential Exemption Authorization or has a current opt-out resolution.
Building Permits–Planning
241 Main St #201, Lynchburg
931-759-7068 · Tue/Wed/Fri, 8 AM–3 PM
No local radon-specific rule was found
This is an absence-of-evidence finding, not proof that no unpublished policy exists. A local records request would be definitive.
A
Schools: encouraged, not mandated
Tennessee law encourages school districts to operate indoor-air-quality programs that include radon. A 2018 bill proposed mandatory annual inspections, but later legislative language still describes the program as encouraged.
B
Sales: buyer diligence matters
Tennessee does not require a radon test or a radon-specific disclosure. Sellers still have a general duty to disclose known material defects, and the state disclosure form advises buyers to use inspection contingencies that include radon.
C
Credentials: no state licensing floor
Tennessee is not on EPA’s list of states with a radon credentialing program. For consumers, national NRPP or NRSB certification is therefore a meaningful qualification to ask about.
How do I find a certified radon professional in Moore 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.
For buyers and owners
Make the test part of the deal.
- Ask for the historyHas the home ever been tested? If so, request the report, date, device type, and any mitigation records.
- Put radon in the inspection contingencyTesting is buyer-driven in Tennessee. Request it explicitly rather than assuming the standard inspection includes it.
- Use a qualified test or the state kitTDEC offers free kits to Tennessee homeowners. For a transaction, ask the professional which national credential they hold.
- Treat a mitigation system as an asset to verifyConfirm that it operates and ask for a post-mitigation reading. A 2024 Lynchburg sale specifically advertised a newly installed radon system, proving the issue surfaces locally.
Radon testing resources
Test the home. Know what comes next.
Free kits, live help, credential directories, and the action thresholds that turn a reading into a decision.
Test your home
- Order a free test kit from Tennessee’s TDEC radon program.
- Buy a kit by phone: 1-800-SOS-RADON (1-800-767-7236).
- Get live answers: 1-800-55RADON (1-800-557-2366).
- Find a certified professional: NRPP 800-269-4174 · NRSB 866-329-3474.
If a result comes back high
- Call the Fix-It Hotline at 1-800-644-6999 for general guidance on reducing radon.
- EPA recommends taking action at 4 pCi/L and considering action between 2 and 4 pCi/L.
Understand the health risk
- Radon causes about 21,000 U.S. lung-cancer deaths each year. It is the second-leading cause overall and the leading cause among people who never smoked.
- Smoking combined with radon raises lung-cancer risk by roughly ~9×.
- About 1 in 15 homes has a high radon level.
- The American Lung Association offers a free Radon Basics course.
Retest on a schedule: Retest at least every 2 years if you have a mitigation system, and after renovations or changes to how you use the lowest floor.
Hotlines and action guidance: EPA and CDC. Health figures and course: American Lung Association.
Source record
Links below are the public sources used for this evidence brief. Where the research session could not complete a live check, the limitation is stated in the page.
Primary and government sources
- Metropolitan Government of Lynchburg, Moore County
- Building Permits–Planning
- MTAS: statewide code standards
- MTAS: residential program opt-out framework
- 2018 IRC Appendix F
- 2021 IRC Appendix AF
- EPA radon zones and credentialing notes
- Census QuickFacts: Moore County
- Tennessee Comptroller: FY24 Moore County financial report
- Tennessee HB1269 (2018)
- Tennessee HJR0696 (2020)
Supporting reporting and local evidence
Research completed Oct. 16, 2026 UTC. This page is a dated evidence snapshot, not a live feed. Open questions remain open by design rather than being filled with estimates.