How Reading Handles Property Maintenance: A Practical Guide

Reading maintains 100 local ordinances across all categories, and 4 of those deal specifically with property maintenance. 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.

Vacant Lot Maintenance

Vacant lots and structures in Reading are subject to three layered requirements: (1) mandatory registration with the Property Maintenance Division's online Vacant Property Registry under the City's vacant and abandoned property ordinance, with mortgagees of defaulted properties required to register within 10 days of inspection; (2) a 6-inch maximum vegetation height under QOL.004 of Chapter 180, Part 12; and (3) eligibility for blight referral under Codified Ordinance §23-903A if the lot becomes an accumulation point for trash or vermin or remains unrehabilitated for one year after notice. A nonrefundable annual registration fee applies under the City Fee Schedule.

Key details: Registry Requirement: Register within 10 days of mortgagee's vacancy inspection. Registration Fee: Nonrefundable annual fee per current City Fee Schedule. Vegetation Cap: Maximum 6 inches under QOL.004. Mow-and-Bill Authority: City cuts lot and liens cost to tax bill. Blight Trigger: Trash accumulation or 1-year unrehabilitated vacancy.

Failure to register a vacant property within 10 days of the triggering inspection is a Property Maintenance Division violation enforced through Quality of Life ticketing under Chapter 180, Part 12; tickets are mailed to the mortgagee and property owner of record without prior warning. The 6-inch vegetation cap at QOL.004 is enforced by City mow-and-bill: when the owner fails to abate within the notice period the Public Works Streets Division (610-655-6285) cuts the lot and the cost plus administrative fee is added to the property tax bill as a municipal lien under the Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act, 53 P.S. §7101. Lots that meet §23-903A criteria are referred to the Blighted Property Review Committee for the 30-day-notice determination hearing described under property-blight.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Reading actively enforces its vacant lot maintenance requirements.

Trash Bin Storage

Reading's Quality of Life ordinance enumerated at Codified Ordinance Chapter 180, Part 12 (QOL.013) requires waste containers to be durable, watertight, and fitted with tight-fitting covers. Bins must be stored at the rear of the property and may be placed curbside no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day before scheduled collection; containers must be removed from the curb after pickup. Residential units are limited to four 55-gallon bags or equivalent containers per collection day, and recycling bins are City property assigned to the address.

Key details: Ordinance: Chapter 180, Part 12 (Quality of Life) - QOL.013. Container Standard: Durable, watertight, with tight-fitting cover. Storage Location: Rear of property (not front). Earliest Set-Out: 5:00 p.m. the day before scheduled collection. Bag Limit: 4 bags (55-gallon) per residential unit per week.

QOL.013 violations are issued as Quality of Life tickets under Chapter 180, Part 12 of the Codified Ordinances rather than as criminal citations. The City states that warnings are no longer issued - an inspector who observes a violation will photograph the condition and mail a ticket to the owner. Tickets may be appealed at Quality of Life Ticket Court (hearings are scheduled on Thursdays at Reading City Hall, 815 Washington Street). Unpaid tickets accrue late fees and may be referred for collection under the City's standard delinquency process; repeat violations escalate to summary citations filed before the District Justice with maximum fines under §1-301 of the General Provisions of the Codified Ordinances.

Property Blight

Reading's blighted-property program is codified at Chapter 23, Part 9 of the Codified Ordinances (Sections 23-903A, 23-904, and 23-906). Properties meeting statutory blight criteria - such as a vacant or unimproved lot that has become an accumulation point for trash or vermin, or a vacant property not rehabilitated within one year of corrective-action notice - are referred to the Blighted Property Review Committee (BPRC) for a determination hearing. Owners receive at least 30 days' advance written notice; if blight is certified the BPRC issues an Order giving approximately 60 days to rehabilitate before further enforcement (including the City's option to acquire under the Urban Redevelopment Law).

Key details: Local Ordinance: Codified Ordinance Chapter 23, Part 9 §§23-903A, 904, 906. State Authority: Urban Redevelopment Law, 35 P.S. §1701; Conservatorship Act, 68 P.S. §1101. Hearing Body: Blighted Property Review Committee (5 members appointed by Council). Owner Notice: At least 30 days before determination hearing. Cure Window: Approximately 60 days from BPRC Order.

Certification as a blighted property under Chapter 23, Part 9 carries cascading remedies rather than a single fine. Failure to rehabilitate within the BPRC Order window exposes the owner to (a) acquisition by the Reading Redevelopment Authority under the Urban Redevelopment Law, 35 P.S. §1701; (b) conservatorship under the PA Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act, 68 P.S. §1101, which can transfer control to a court-appointed conservator who rehabs the property and recovers cost from sale; (c) municipal-claim liens for code-enforcement, demolition, and Property Maintenance fees under the Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act, 53 P.S. §7101; (d) ineligibility for City permits and tax-abatement programs while the certification stands; and (e) personal liability for the owner of record under §23-906. The underlying code violations that drove the referral remain enforceable as separate Quality of Life or summary citations during and after the BPRC proceeding.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Reading actively enforces its property blight requirements.

Snow & Sidewalk Clearing

Reading Codified Ordinance §508-202 requires every owner or occupant of a building or lot fronting a paved sidewalk to clear snow and ice from a path at least 36 inches wide on the abutting sidewalk and within 36 inches of every fire hydrant. The Quality of Life provision QOL.012 at Chapter 180, Part 12 sets the deadline: snow and ice on sidewalks abutting main streets must be removed within 2 hours after precipitation ceases, and on all other streets within 4 hours. When ice cannot be removed without damaging the sidewalk, cinder or other abrasive material must be applied to make travel reasonably safe.

Key details: Local Ordinance: Codified Ordinance §508-202. State Authority: Third Class City Code, 53 P.S. §39001 et seq.. Cleared Path Width: At least 36 inches. Hydrant Clearance: 36 inches around every fire hydrant. Main-Street Deadline: 2 hours after precipitation ceases (QOL.012).

Failure to clear within the QOL.012 time window is enforced as a Quality of Life ticket under Chapter 180, Part 12; inspectors no longer issue warnings and photograph the unshoveled sidewalk before mailing the ticket to the owner. Repeat or unabated violations escalate to summary citations before the District Justice with maximum fines under §1-301 of the General Provisions. Reading retains a civil cause of action under 53 P.S. §39001 against owners who fail to maintain sidewalks, and pedestrian-injury liability under Pennsylvania premises law typically falls on the abutting owner where the City has shifted that duty by ordinance (see Hill v. Allegheny County, 21 Pa. Cmwlth. 364, applied to municipal sidewalks). Reading may also perform clearing and lien-back the cost under the Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act, 53 P.S. §7101.

The Bottom Line

Reading is tougher than many cities when it comes to property maintenance. Out of the 4 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Reading, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Reading's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.