Building Safety in Reading, PA (2026)
3 verified building safety rules for Reading, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Lead Paint
Reading regulates lead paint through Chapter 328 (Lead Poisoning Prevention) of the Codified Ordinances, adopted October 23, 2000, alongside the federal Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 4851) and Pennsylvania's Lead Certification Act (35 P.S. Sec. 5901). Application of lead paint to dwellings, dwelling units, rooming houses, and child-occupied facilities is prohibited, and children's products must contain less than 90 ppm (0.009 percent) lead.
Reading PA Lead Paint and Lead Hazard Rules
Heavy Restrictions40 C.F.R. Part 745, Subpart E (EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule)
EPA's RRP Rule requires that anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 be certified and their employees be trained (either as a certified renovator or on-the-job by a certified renovator) in the use of lead-safe work practices that minimize occupants’ exposure to lead hazards. In general, the RRP Rule does not appl...
Pest Control
Reading regulates rodent and insect infestation through Chapter 180 Part 13 (International Property Maintenance Code, 2018) adopted at Sec. 180-1301 et seq., and Section 180-1203 Quality of Life violations. IPMC Section 309 requires extermination of pests by the owner of vacant structures and shared infestations in multifamily buildings; Section 304.5 and 308 require rodent-proofing of exterior openings.
Reading PA Pest and Rodent Control
Some RestrictionsFire Sprinkler Requirements
Pennsylvania repealed the statewide mandate for sprinklers in new one- and two-family dwellings effective retroactively to January 1, 2011 (Act 1 of 2011). Reading does not impose a local residential sprinkler mandate. New townhouses, commercial buildings, and existing buildings undergoing significant renovation are still subject to the sprinkler triggers in the IBC and IFC adopted at Reading Chapter 180 Parts 11 and 14, including the IFC Section 903 thresholds.
Reading PA Fire Sprinkler Requirements
Some RestrictionsLooking for Berks County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Reading city rules.
Building Safety in Berks County →