Animal Ordinances in Reading, PA (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Reading, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Reading's Code of Ordinances Chapter 141 (Animals), Part 2 (Animal Control), at Section 141-215 makes it unlawful to own, harbor, or permit at large any 'domestic agricultural animal' — including chickens, ducks, turkeys, goats, sheep, swine, and other livestock — within City limits without a permit issued by the Reading Animal Control Board. The permit is processed through the Property Maintenance Division and is valid for up to three years or for the duration of the animal's rabies vaccination.
Reading PA Chickens, Fowl and Domestic Agricultural Animals
Heavy RestrictionsDog Leash Laws
Reading Code Section 141-209 (Restraining and confinement generally) requires every dog on a street, sidewalk, public way, park, public square, or any private property without the owner's consent to be secured by a leash of sufficient tensile strength to restrain the particular dog, or to be at heel and securely muzzled. Section 141-208 separately prohibits unattended outdoor tethering except under narrow conditions. State-level licensing is administered by the Berks County Treasurer under the Pennsylvania Dog Law (3 P.S. Section 459-101 et seq.).
Reading PA Dog Leash and Confinement Rules
Some RestrictionsBreed Restrictions
Reading does not have a breed-specific ordinance and cannot enact one. Pennsylvania's Dog Law at 3 P.S. Section 459-507-A(c) preempts local breed bans: a local ordinance otherwise dealing with dogs may not prohibit or otherwise limit a specific breed of dog. Reading regulates dangerous behavior on an individual-dog basis under Code Section 141-216 (aggressive dog, vicious animal, and dangerous dog determination/permit), aligned with the state dangerous-dog statute at 3 P.S. Section 459-502-A.
Reading PA Breed-Specific Legislation (Preempted by State Law)
Few RestrictionsBeekeeping
Reading's Code of Ordinances Chapter 141 does not contain an express urban-beekeeping framework. Bees are not separately authorized as a residential by-right use and would, in practice, fall under the Section 141-215 'domestic agricultural animal' permit requirement administered by the Animal Control Board. Statewide, the Pennsylvania Bee Law at 3 Pa.C.S. Section 2101 et seq. requires every beekeeper to register all apiaries with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry.
Reading PA Beekeeping Rules
Heavy RestrictionsExotic Pets
Reading Code Section 141-215 makes it unlawful to own, harbor, or permit at large any 'exotic animal' within the City without a permit from the Reading Animal Control Board. The City has expressly defined the category to capture non-domestic species — big cats, primates, bears, venomous reptiles, and similar wildlife. Statewide, the Pennsylvania Game and Wildlife Code at 34 Pa.C.S. Section 2961 et seq. and the Pennsylvania Game Commission's permit regulations at 58 Pa. Code Chapter 147 separately require exotic-wildlife possession permits.
Reading PA Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsWildlife Feeding
Reading prohibits conditions that create a public nuisance under Code Section 141-204, which reaches feeding of stray cats, deer, or other wildlife that produces odor, sanitation, or vermin problems. Statewide rules add specific bans: 58 Pa. Code Section 137.33 (issued under the Game and Wildlife Code, 34 Pa.C.S. Section 103) prohibits feeding bears and elk, and 58 Pa. Code Section 137.34 prohibits feeding wild deer in Disease Management Areas. Reading sits within DMA 4 (parts of Berks, Lancaster, and Lebanon counties), so deer feeding is unlawful here.
Reading PA Wildlife Feeding Rules
Some RestrictionsAnimal Hoarding
Reading addresses animal hoarding through three overlapping frameworks: (1) Code Section 141-204 (Nuisances), which prohibits keeping any animal that constitutes a public-nuisance animal or a menace to public health or safety; (2) the Animal Control Board's permit cap on more than six dogs and/or cats in a household under Section 141-220; and (3) the Pennsylvania cruelty statutes at 18 Pa.C.S. Sections 5532 (neglect), 5533 (cruelty), and 5534 (aggravated cruelty), enforced by the Animal Rescue League of Berks County humane officers.
Reading PA Animal Hoarding
Heavy RestrictionsPet Limits
Reading Code Section 141-220 effectively caps a household at six dogs and/or cats combined. Owning more than six requires a permit from the Reading Animal Control Board, which has explicit statutory authority to grant or deny requests to own more than six dogs/cats and may impose conditions to protect the animal, owner, and the general public. The state Dog Law continues to require licensing of each dog three months or older through the Berks County Treasurer.
Reading PA Pet Limits
Some RestrictionsLooking for Berks County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Reading city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Berks County →