The bottom line
A Zone 2 label does not make a house safe.
Polk County has opted out of Tennessee’s residential inspection program. Benton and Copperhill use the state program, which adopts the 2018 IRC without Appendix F. Ducktown’s published code is dated and names no residential radon appendix. Across all four systems, no code-backed radon safeguard was confirmed.
Publish the zone. Withhold the broken average.
Independent zone sources place Polk County in EPA Zone 2. The Tennessee dashboard’s Polk-labeled values, however, failed a basic consistency check on two separate loads.
predicted average 2–4 pCi/L
Zone 2 is a county-level planning category, not a reading for an individual property. Elevated homes can occur in any zone, and a test is the only way to know a house’s level.
EPA Map of Radon Zones: Tennessee · EPA Map of Radon Zones: Tennessee
Four jurisdictions, no radon requirement
The published municipal code books are dated, so their current editions should be confirmed locally. The practical radon conclusion is consistent across the records that could be verified.
Polk County
The county was listed “OPT OUT” in the 2011 MTAS status table and is absent from the current State Fire Marshal permit-required county list.
No county building-code adoption or radon appendix was found online. A county permit used for assessment is not the same as code inspection.MTAS status table ↗Benton
The published Title 12 is “reserved for future use.” Benton appears on the current state permit-required city list, so residential construction falls under the state’s 2018 IRC.
The state rule names Appendix Q only and excludes optional provisions; Appendix F, Radon Control Methods, is not adopted.Benton Title 12 ↗Ducktown
Published §12-101 adopts the 2009 International Building Code, replaced by Ordinance #72 in March 2012. No residential code or radon appendix appears in that Title 12.
Ducktown was “EXEMPT” in 2011 and is not on the current state-permit city list. Post-2013 code updates were not visible online.Ducktown Title 12 ↗Copperhill
The old municipal book adopts the 1994 Standard Building Code under Ordinance #5, but Copperhill is now on the state permit-required city list.
Residential work therefore uses the state program’s 2018 IRC without the radon appendix. The 1996-era codification needs a local currency check.Copperhill Title 12 ↗Radon-resistant construction is not mandatory anywhere in Polk County. New-home buyers should verify actual system components and order a post-construction test rather than assuming “built to code” means radon-ready.
No Polk-specific radon rule was found
The research found no county or municipal mandate for public buildings, schools, rentals, or real-estate transactions beyond Tennessee’s statewide norms.
State law leaves the key decisions to owners and buyers.
Tennessee encourages school systems to include radon in indoor-air-quality programs but does not require testing. The state seller-disclosure form asks about known radon, yet a seller may answer “Unknown” and is not required to run a test.
For buyers, that makes a radon contingency important: disclosure is not measurement. TDEC offers free test kits to Tennessee homeowners.
School testing bill text ↗ · Tennessee disclosure overview ↗
How do I find a certified radon professional in Polk 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 testing explicit in every transaction
Polk County is growing, new homes are being marketed near its river and mountain communities, and no code system guarantees radon-ready construction.
Keep a radon contingency
A seller may report radon as unknown without testing. Put measurement inside the inspection window.
Test new construction
No confirmed jurisdiction adopted a radon appendix. Age is not a substitute for a result.
Verify system details
Ask for plans, vent routing, sealing, fan-ready wiring, and a post-construction reading.
Plan for travel
The nearest directory-listed professional is outside the county, 18.7 miles from Benton.
Census QuickFacts also reports 83.6% owner occupancy and a $169,900 median value for owner-occupied housing. Those figures describe the market, not radon prevalence. Census QuickFacts ↗
TDEC’s statewide Radon Program offers free homeowner test kits. Use a short-term kit as a screening tool, and use certified professional measurement when a transaction or unusual result calls for formal testing.
Public records, data, and live directories
Code records, dashboard tooltips, program lists, census data, and professional directories were reviewed October 16, 2026.
- Tennessee Residential Permits program
- State permit-required jurisdiction lists
- Tenn. Rule 0780-02-23
- MTAS state building-code summary
- 2011 MTAS jurisdiction status table
- Benton Municipal Code, Title 12
- Ducktown Municipal Code, Title 12
- Copperhill Municipal Code, Title 12
- EPA Map of Radon Zones: Tennessee
- EPA Map of Radon Zones: Tennessee
- Tennessee Radon Testing dashboard
- NRPP professional directory
- NRSB professional directory
- Census QuickFacts — Polk County
- HB1269 school radon bill text
- Tennessee seller disclosure overview
- Polk County commission discussion
No dashboard average, median, maximum, or health-region test count is presented as a valid Polk County statistic. The hero is a generated editorial illustration, not a photograph or specific property.