Reading, PA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Moratoriums (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted
- Resolution No. 105-2026, July 13, 2026
- Duration
- 180-day moratorium from adoption
- Effect
- No new data center zoning approvals
- Scope
- Citywide in Reading, Berks County
- Authority
- Reading City Council, home rule city
Summary
Reading City Council declared the zoning ordinance invalid for lacking data center standards and imposed a 180-day moratorium on July 13, 2026, halting new data center zoning approvals citywide while the city drafts siting rules.
Declaring a portion of the Reading Zoning Ordinance is substantively invalid due to a lack of established rules and regulations governing data centers, invoking a 180-day moratorium to address the invalidity.
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
On July 13, 2026 the Reading City Council adopted Resolution No. 105-2026, finding that the Reading Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 600) is substantively invalid because it contains no established rules or regulations governing data centers. To address that gap, the resolution imposes a 180-day moratorium, running from the adoption date, while the city, a Pennsylvania home rule municipality, works under its charter to draft dedicated siting standards for data center and similar large-scale computing facilities. Until new zoning language is adopted or the 180 days lapse, the City is not approving data center uses under the existing zoning code.
Violations & Fines
The moratorium itself is the enforcement mechanism: the City will not accept, process, or approve zoning applications for data center uses until new standards are adopted or 180 days pass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a data center approved in Reading right now?
Why is Reading's zoning ordinance invalid for data centers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reading
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