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
01 · Risk signal
The county reading is not subtle.
The Tennessee Radon Testing dashboard identified the county as Wayne on two separate loads. Its tooltip reports all three measures above EPA’s 4 pCi/L action level.
EPA designation
Zone 1
highest potential
Predicted average indoor level greater than 4 pCi/L.
Average
9.7
pCi/L
Dashboard tooltip
Median
10.2
pCi/L
Dashboard tooltip
Maximum
17.4
pCi/L
Dashboard tooltip
Read with caution: the displayed median (10.2) is higher than the average (9.7). That can occur in a left-skewed sample, but the dashboard provides no county test count or data dictionary to explain it. The values are reproduced exactly, not “corrected.” The pre/post charts show health-region aggregates, not county-level results.
Sources: Tennessee Radon Testing dashboard · EPA zone definitions · Zone assignment cross-checks: EPA Map of Radon Zones: Tennessee, EPA Map of Radon Zones: Tennessee
02 · Building codes
Four jurisdictions, zero confirmed radon mandates.
The statewide residential baseline is the 2018 IRC with Appendix Q only. Appendix F — Radon Control Methods — is not part of that adoption.
| Jurisdiction | Residential code | Radon appendix | Radon-resistant construction | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated Wayne County | None — county opted out | Not applicable | Not mandatory | SFMO opt-out table, summarized Aug. 21, 2026; 2011 MTAS table agrees |
| City of Waynesboro | 2018 IRC via state code by reference | Not adopted | Not mandatory | Title 12 § 12-101; ordinance number and effective date unverified |
| Town of Clifton | 2018 IRC via statewide program | Not adopted | Not mandatory | Title 12 has IBC, fuel gas and energy chapters — no local IRC chapter |
| Town of Collinwood | Unverified — likely state program | Unverified | Presumed not mandatory | No municipal code found in MTAS; confirm with city hall |
What “opted out” means here
Wayne County’s opt-out applies to unincorporated land: no residential building code is enforced there. Electrical inspections and septic permits still apply statewide. An opt-out is not a determination that a house is radon-safe.
Waynesboro’s published code says the state’s building and utility codes apply inside city limits and are enforced by county personnel. Clifton publishes no residential-code chapter, leaving one- and two-family dwellings under the statewide program. No local radon-specific rule was found for public buildings, schools, or real estate transactions in any of the four jurisdictions.
How do I find a certified radon professional in Wayne 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.
03 · Homebuyers
Make the test a transaction step.
Nothing Wayne-County-specific changes the real estate contract. State disclosure is awareness-based; it does not require a seller to test or mitigate.
Do not infer safety from age or “new construction.”
Unincorporated new homes have no code-required radon features, and the municipalities do not have confirmed radon-appendix mandates.
Include a radon inspection contingency.
The Tennessee Residential Property Condition Disclosure names radon, but sellers answer only from what they know. Testing creates new information.
Use the right test window.
Arrange the test early enough for results and any follow-up to fit inside the inspection period. A free TDEC kit can help homeowners; transaction timing may favor professional measurement.
Preserve the result and next step in writing.
If a result is elevated, document any follow-up test, mitigation decision and post-mitigation reading rather than relying on a verbal assurance.
04 · Testing resources
Radon testing resources
Start with a test. If the result is elevated, qualified help is available by phone and through national certification directories.
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 it between 2 and 4 pCi/L.
Hotline information: U.S. EPA and CDC. Health statistics and testing cadence: American Lung Association. Action thresholds: U.S. EPA.
Questions
Wayne County radon questions
Three practical answers drawn directly from the code and homebuyer findings above.
What “opted out” means here
Wayne County’s opt-out applies to unincorporated land: no residential building code is enforced there. Electrical inspections and septic permits still apply statewide. An opt-out is not a determination that a house is radon-safe.
The key appendix
In the 2018 IRC, Appendix F contains Radon Control Methods. Tennessee’s statewide rule names only Appendix Q for tiny houses. Optional standards are otherwise excluded, so the radon appendix does not arrive by default.
Do not infer safety from age or “new construction.”
Unincorporated new homes have no code-required radon features, and the municipalities do not have confirmed radon-appendix mandates.
05 · Sources & method
What the page rests on.
Code claims use published state rules and municipal code text where available. Dashboard values were verified twice with the Wayne County label visible. Secondary sources are identified as such.
The dashboard’s 2022–2023 “All” filter is a dated snapshot, not a live county census. Its health-region bar charts are not treated as Wayne County counts. “No local rule found” means no published rule surfaced in the reviewed county and municipal sources; it is not proof that no internal policy exists.
Research completed October 15, 2026. Links below are the documents and pages used for the county assessment.
- Tennessee Rule 0780-02-23State residential code · primary
- TDCI residential permitsState program · primary
- TDCI opt-out jurisdictionsJurisdiction status · state page
- Waynesboro Title 12Municipal code · primary
- Clifton Title 12Municipal code · primary
- 2011 MTAS jurisdiction tableHistorical jurisdiction status
- Tennessee Radon Testing dashboardCounty readings · state dashboard
- NRPP professional directoryProvider market · live directory snapshot
- Census QuickFactsPopulation and housing
- TN property condition disclosureReal estate disclosure form
- TDEC free test kit reportHomeowner testing channel · secondary
- SFMO table summary2026 opt-out status · secondary