ACAC COUNCIL-CERTIFIED · IICRC CERTIFIED · INDEPENDENT RADON TESTING SINCE 2009
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Decatur’s walkable neighborhoods are concentrated with Craftsman bungalows and ranch homes built decades before radon testing was standard practice. The MAK Historic District, Oakhurst, and Winnona Park are among the densest examples of 1910s to 1950s crawlspace construction in DeKalb County. SafeAir provides certified, independent radon testing in Decatur with results in 48-72 hours.
Jeremy Shelton has been testing Decatur homes for indoor air quality problems since 2009. He founded SafeAir after discovering a mold infestation in his own crawlspace had affected his health for more than a year. Radon is different from mold in every way but one: you can’t know it’s there without a test.
SafeAir provides ACAC & IICRC-certified radon testing across Decatur with results in 48-72 hours. We test and report. We do not mitigate.
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Yes, and Decatur’s older housing stock makes testing especially relevant.
Decatur and DeKalb County are classified as EPA Zone 2, where average indoor radon levels are predicted between 2 and 4 pCi/L. The EPA action level is 4.0 pCi/L. Radon testing data for the Decatur area reports an average of 3.8 pCi/L, near the action threshold and above the county-wide average of 2.2 pCi/L. The underlying geology includes the Lithonia Gneiss formation beneath eastern DeKalb and the granitic rock complex anchored by Stone Mountain, both uranium-bearing crystalline formations that produce radon throughout the DeKalb housing stock.
A peer-reviewed study of DeKalb County homes found that below-grade living space was the single strongest predictor of elevated radon levels. Decatur’s 1910s to 1950s Craftsman bungalows sit on crawlspace foundations that function similarly. The rolling Piedmont terrain in Glennwood Estates, Winnona Park, and Oakhurst means many homes that appear single-story from the street have a partial sub-grade level at the rear where grade drops.
Zone data gives you a probability. A test gives you your actual number.
According to the U.S. EPA, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
Decatur’s housing spans more than a century, from 1880s Victorians on Sycamore Street to 1950s brick ranch homes in Medlock Park. Construction era and foundation type drive radon risk more than any other single factor.
The MAK Historic District and Oakhurst were developed between 1905 and the early 1930s as streetcar suburbs. Homes were built on pier-and-beam or masonry perimeter crawlspace foundations, standard practice for early 20th century Piedmont construction. These crawlspaces create a direct pathway between the radon-generating saprolite and the living floor above.
Medlock Park contains approximately 1,300 homes built primarily in the 1950s, representing the regional shift from crawlspace to slab-on-grade construction. Slab homes present a lower average radon entry rate, but concrete is not impermeable. Foundation cracks and utility penetrations still allow soil gas to enter.
Oakhurst and the City of Decatur core have seen significant teardown and renovation activity replacing 1910s-1930s bungalows. Tightly sealed renovated and newly built homes concentrate radon entering through foundation penetrations. Testing is especially relevant when older crawlspace homes receive new insulation, vapor barriers, or HVAC systems.
Split-level homes in North Decatur create a below-grade room on the downhill side that functions as a partial basement for radon accumulation. These sub-grade spaces are often finished as family rooms or offices, with direct exposure to soil gas through adjacent foundation walls. A peer-reviewed DeKalb County study identified below-grade living space as the strongest predictor of elevated radon levels.
Whatever your home type, the continuous monitor goes in your lowest livable level. The result is specific to your property, your foundation, your soil.
Jeremy or a SafeAir consultant places a calibrated continuous monitoring device in the lowest livable level of your home. The device records radon readings hour by hour over 48 hours.
Continuous electronic monitors produce significantly more data than charcoal canister kits. Their results are accepted by lenders, buyers’ agents, and real estate attorneys throughout Georgia. The $15 UGA Extension kit works for general awareness. It does not work for real estate transactions.
After device pickup, your written report arrives within 24 hours. It documents your radon level, testing conditions, and the inspector’s certification. A SafeAir consultant reviews the findings with you directly.
You do not need to be home during the 48-hour measurement period.
Calibrated continuous monitor set in your lowest livable level.
Hour-by-hour readings recorded. No need to be home.
Certified written report, reviewed with you directly.
Radon comes up on most Decatur contracts now. Buyers’ agents request it. Some lenders require it. The due diligence window on most Georgia contracts runs 7–10 days.
What matters in that window: you need an independent result. A company that tests and sells mitigation has a financial reason to find a problem. SafeAir tests and reports only. If the result is below 4.0 pCi/L, you’re done. If it’s above, you know before closing and you negotiate from that position.
Mitigation in Decatur typically runs $800–$2,500 depending on foundation type and system design. Knowing the number before you close is leverage. Discovering it after is not.
If scheduling is time-sensitive, note your closing date in the form. SafeAir prioritizes contingency-window requests.
SafeAir does not sell radon mitigation systems. That is a deliberate choice.
Most radon companies test and mitigate. That creates a conflict: the company that finds a problem also profits from solving it. Jeremy built SafeAir to remove that conflict. He reports what the monitor records, regardless of the result. If your test comes back elevated, he explains what the number means and what your options look like. You choose your mitigator independently.
Jeremy holds certifications through ACAC (Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant, Certified Microbial Consultant) and IICRC. He has been testing indoor air quality in Georgia homes since 2009.
SafeAir tests homes and properties throughout the City of Decatur and the surrounding Decatur address area in DeKalb County, including:
If your neighborhood isn’t listed, we still test there.
Decatur and DeKalb County fall in EPA Zone 2, with a county-wide average indoor radon level of 2.2 pCi/L. Radon testing data for the Decatur area reports an average closer to 3.8 pCi/L, near the EPA action threshold of 4.0 pCi/L. The elevated Decatur figure reflects the city's older housing stock: the City of Decatur core is concentrated with 1910s to 1950s Craftsman bungalows on crawlspace foundations that allow soil gas from Piedmont bedrock and saprolite to enter the living space directly. A certified test in your lowest livable level is the only accurate measure of your home's specific radon level.
There are none. Radon is odorless, colorless, and produces no symptoms you would connect to it. Long-term exposure is cumulative. The only way to know if radon is present at an elevated level is a certified test.
Contact SafeAir for current pricing. For context: professional continuous monitor testing in the Decatur area typically runs $150-$300. The UGA Extension Program offers $15 charcoal kits for general screening, but those results are not accepted in most real estate transactions.
SafeAir uses 48-hour continuous electronic monitors. Your written report is typically delivered within 24 hours of device pickup. Most Decatur clients have results in hand within 3-4 days of scheduling.
The EPA recommends mitigation at that level. SafeAir provides the test and the result. We do not sell mitigation systems. If your result is elevated, we explain what it means and what your options are. Mitigation in Decatur typically costs $800-$2,500 depending on foundation type.
Georgia has no state law requiring radon disclosure or testing for home sales. However, buyers increasingly request it during due diligence, and some lenders require it on certain loan types. If a buyer requests a test and the contingency window is open, completing it before that window closes protects your transaction.
Jeremy has tested hundreds of Georgia homes since 2009.
No obligation. No upsell. Just a certified result you can trust.
