Reading, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed zoning
- HM Heavy Manufacturing only
- Buffer distance
- 1,000 feet from sensitive uses
- Licensing authority
- Director (Chief of Police)
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor
- Grandfathered businesses
- 3, location-only under § 473-114
Summary
Reading confines sexually oriented businesses to HM Heavy Manufacturing zoning and bars them within 1,000 feet of churches, schools, parks, residential district boundaries, or another such business: operating outside those limits is a misdemeanor.
A person commits a misdemeanor if that person operates or causes to be operated a sexually oriented business in any zoning district other than HM Heavy Manufacturing Districts, as defined and described in Chapter 600, Zoning, of the Code of the City of Reading. ... A person commits an offense if the person operates or causes to be operated a sexually oriented business within 1,000 feet of: (1) A church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or building which is used primarily for religious worship and related religious activities.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-8: Current through August 10, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 473 requires a City-issued operator's license (from the Police Director) and an employee license before any sexually oriented business or its staff may operate, with the premises inspected by the health, building and zoning offices first. Section 473-113 then confines these uses to HM Heavy Manufacturing districts and imposes a 1,000-foot buffer, measured in a straight line, from churches, schools, parks, residential district boundaries, and other sexually oriented businesses. Three pre-existing businesses, Al's Diamond Cabaret, the Second Story Lounge, and the Reading Adult Outlet, are grandfathered for location only under § 473-114.
Violations & Fines
Operating outside HM Heavy Manufacturing zoning, within the 1,000-foot buffer, or without a valid operator's or employee license is a misdemeanor; the City's Director (Chief of Police) can also suspend or revoke a license for cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in Reading can a sexually oriented business legally operate?
How far must an adult business be from a church or school in Reading?
Are any existing Reading adult businesses exempt from the spacing rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reading
Compare Reading to another location·View the Pennsylvania business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.