How Reading Handles Outdoor Lighting: A Practical Guide
Reading maintains 123 local ordinances across all categories, and 3 of those deal specifically with outdoor lighting. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Reading falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.
Billboard Lighting
Reading's lighting-control ordinance requires new billboard illumination to be mounted at the top of the sign and aimed downward, part of a broader rule shielding all sign and wall lighting from nearby homes.
Key details: Billboard lighting placement: Top-mounted, aimed downward. General standard: Fully shielded, no skyward light. Applies to: New billboards. Governing section: § 600-912.J, Lighting control.
Installing new billboard lighting that isn't top-mounted and downward-facing, or that projects glare toward neighboring residences or the sky, violates the § 600-912 lighting-control standards.
Light Trespass & Shielding
Reading requires off-street parking areas with five or more spaces to be lit for security between sunset and sunrise, but the lighting can't spill onto neighboring properties or shine into drivers' eyes.
Key details: Trigger: 5+ space parking lots. Required hours: Sunset to sunrise. Standard: No spill onto neighbors. Enforced by: Zoning Administrator.
Zoning Administrator can reject site plans or require re-aiming/shielding of fixtures; noncompliant lighting can hold up parking-lot permit approval or trigger a code enforcement order to fix installed fixtures.
Dark Sky Rules
Reading's zoning code requires all outdoor lighting to be shaded and shielded so it does not glare onto neighbors, caps nighttime spillover onto adjoining lots, limits pole height near homes, and bans upward-aimed spotlights and lasers, enforced under Chapter 600.
Key details: Governing section: § 600-912, Lighting control. Nighttime spillover cap (general): 2.0 footcandles, 10 p.m.-6 a.m.. Residential-lot spillover cap: 1.0 footcandle, 10 p.m.-7 a.m.. Pole height near homes: 35 ft max within 200 ft of a lot line. Upward lighting: Spotlights and lasers into the sky banned.
Chapter 600's general enforcement clause, Section 600-206, governs lighting violations: a civil enforcement judgment of not less than $100 and not more than $500 per violation, plus court costs and the City's reasonable attorney fees, imposed only after a Magisterial District Judge determination. Each day a fixture stays out of compliance is a separate violation, and the chapter does not authorize imprisonment.
The Bottom Line
Reading's outdoor lighting rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Reading is broadly strict or permissive.
All of the above reflects Reading's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.