Building setbacks in Reading are set by Chapter 600 (Zoning) of the Codified Ordinances and vary by zoning district. The City's principal residential districts are R-1A (§600-801, lowest density), R-1 (§600-802), R-2 (§600-803) and R-3 (§600-804, highest density). Front, side and rear yard requirements scale with district density and are listed in the bulk schedule for each district. The 2014 comprehensive zoning rewrite (amended through about 2023) is the governing document.
Reading is a dense, traditionally rowhouse-oriented third-class city, and its Chapter 600 zoning ordinance reflects that pattern. The four principal residential districts - R-1A (single-family detached, lowest density), R-1 (single-family detached / semi-detached), R-2 (mixed low-density residential) and R-3 (high-density residential, including the central rowhouse fabric) - each have their own bulk schedule of minimum lot area, lot width, front yard, side yard, rear yard, lot coverage and maximum height. Side yards in R-3 and C-R districts are subject to the special rules in §600-904 (no side yard required along an existing party-wall line shared with another principal building, common in Reading's rowhouse blocks); §600-909 provides a front-yard exception that allows a new building to align with the average setback of adjoining existing buildings on the same block. §600-1001 sets out general supplementary requirements that apply across districts. Variances from setback requirements require an application to the Reading Zoning Hearing Board under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (53 P.S. §10101 et seq., the MPC), specifically §910.2 dimensional-variance authority, which requires the applicant to prove unnecessary hardship.
Building within a required yard or otherwise violating the bulk schedule in Chapter 600 is a zoning violation enforceable by the Reading Zoning Office and the City Codes / Building Inspections office. The Building Code Official can issue stop-work orders, deny a Certificate of Occupancy, and refer cases to the District Justice for fines (typically up to $1,000 per violation plus costs in PA third-class cities). Each day of continuing violation may be charged separately under the MPC enforcement framework at 53 P.S. §10617.2.
Reading, PA
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Reading, PA
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Reading, PA
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Reading, PA
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Reading, PA
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Reading, PA
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See how Reading's setback rules rules stack up against other locations.
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