Building Safety in Reading, PA (2026)
7 verified building safety rules for Reading, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Childcare Center Rules
Reading zoning sets minimum outdoor play area and occupancy standards for child care centers as a special exception use.
Reading Child Care Center Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsReading Codified Ordinances § 600-1202(D)(2)
(2) Child care centers or adult care centers, as a principal use, and group child care homes where allowed in Part 8 shall meet the following standards: (a) There may be permitted seven or more children in a child care center... (c) A minimum of 400 square feet of fenced outdoor play area shall be provided, unless the facility is within 500 feet of a public playground that is available for use ...
Green Building Code
Reading doesn't mandate green construction, but it rewards LEED-certified buildings with extra building coverage, exempts vegetated roofs from impervious-area calculations, and lets rooftop solar rise above the district height limit.
Reading LEED Green Building Bonus
Light RestrictionsReading Codified Ordinances § 600-918.C
For each 1,000 square feet of building floor area that achieves "certification" or a higher level under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, an additional 300 square feet of building coverage shall be allowed beyond the maximum building coverage requirement. (1) If a building is approved to be certified as a condition of an incentive und...
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Reading's Property Maintenance Code requires carbon monoxide alarms in dwellings per the International Fire Code and Residential Code, and mandates they stay maintained under NFPA 720 and be replaced when they fail or signal end-of-life.
Reading PA Carbon Monoxide Alarm Requirements
Some RestrictionsReading Property Maintenance Code §§ 705.1-705.2 (Code of Ordinances § 180-1301)
[F] 705.1 General. Carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed in dwellings in accordance with Section 1103.9 of the International Fire Code, as adopted by the City of Reading, except that alarms in dwellings covered by the International Residential Code, as adopted by the City of Reading, shall be installed in accordance with Section R315 of that code. [F] 705.2 Carbon monoxide alarms and detect...
Building Permits
Reading requires permits under the 2009 International Building Code, but the city stripped out the code's exemptions for electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work: every trade job in Reading needs a permit, no small-job exception.
Reading PA Building Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsReading Codified Ordinances § 180-802(F)
Chapter 1, Section 105.2, is amended by deleting No. 2, No. 6, and the words "cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work" from No. 7. Delete in its entirety "Electrical, Gas, Mechanical and Plumbing."
Electrical Permits
Reading requires a permit from the Electrical Code Official before any electrical installation, alteration, or repair work begins in the city, under the locally adopted and amended Electrical Code.
Reading PA Electrical Work Permit
Some RestrictionsReading Codified Ordinances § 180-702
401.2 Work requiring permit. It shall be unlawful for any individual person, partnership, copartnership, firm, association, corporation or other legal entity to commence or cause to commence any installation of electrical system used for the transmission of electric current for electric lights heat or power in existing buildings, structures ... without first applying for and obtaining a permit ...
Plumbing Permits
Reading's Plumbing Code lets only a licensed master plumber apply for a plumbing permit, caps each shop at one authorized master plumber, and voids unused permits after six months.
Reading Plumbing Permit and Licensing Rules
Some RestrictionsReading Codified Ordinances § 180-902.A(5)(a) (amending IPC § ADM 106.3, Applications for permits)
106.3 Applications for permits. Application for permits shall be made by a person holding a current master plumber's license issued by the Code Service Division of the City of Reading. Each shop must a have a master plumber assigned to apply for permits from Codes Service Division for the City of Reading. There can be only one master plumber in any one shop to pull permits.
Building Inspections
Reading requires a certificate-of-transfer inspection before any residential, nonresidential or mixed-use property changes hands, with the seller applying at least 30 days ahead and the city checking 15 specific safety items.
Reading Point-of-Sale Inspection
Significant RestrictionsReading Codified Ordinances § 431-203
No property within the City of Reading shall be transferred until the City has received evidence that a property transfer inspection has been completed; a certificate of transfer has been issued by the City and: (1) The City has issued a property transfer compliance letter, or (2) An agreement has been executed between the buyer and the seller which is determined by the City to provide reasonab...
Looking for Berks County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Reading city rules.
Building Safety in Berks County →