Reading, PA Building Safety: Pest Control (2026)

Reading enforces pest control through the locally adopted 2018 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) at Chapter 180 Part 13 of the Codified Ordinances, supplemented by the Quality of Life violations section at Section 180-1203. IPMC Section 309 ('Pest Elimination') makes pest elimination the responsibility of the owner of any structure or premise infested with insects, rats, vermin, or other pests, and shifts that responsibility to the tenant only in single-family rental units where the lease assigns it and only after the unit was delivered free of infestation. In multifamily buildings of two or more dwelling units the owner is responsible for pest elimination in all common areas and in any infestation that affects more than one unit. IPMC Section 304.5 and Section 308 require that exterior openings, basement hatchways, windows, and ventilation openings be rodent-proofed: cracks larger than 1/2 inch must be sealed, vent openings must be covered with corrosion-resistant wire mesh of no more than 1/4 inch openings, and any opening through which a rat could pass (typically larger than 1/2 inch) must be closed. Section 308 separately requires that all garbage be stored in approved, watertight, rodent-proof containers with tight-fitting lids. Reading's Property and Codes Enforcement office (1-877-727-3234) inspects on complaint and during the city's annual rental housing inspections. Bed bug infestations in rental units are treated as IPMC 309 infestations triggering owner-funded extermination by a licensed Pennsylvania pesticide applicator (7 P.S. Section 128 - the Pennsylvania Pesticide Control Act). Pennsylvania does not impose statewide bed bug disclosure (unlike New York or Maine), so Reading defers to IPMC 309 as the operative obligation.