Before You Build in Reading, PA: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

Reading caps fence and wall heights at four feet in the front yard of residential and R-PO districts and six feet elsewhere in residential or mixed-use districts, per Zoning Code § 600-1302. Fences in Manufacturing or C-H districts may be taller, but cannot exceed eight feet within 20 feet of a residential zone or use. Decorative posts and ornamentation may extend an additional one foot above the cap. Height is measured from the ground including any wall the fence sits on.

Reading's zoning code does not require neighbor consent for a boundary fence under § 600-1301, but Pennsylvania's partition-fence statute (53 P.S. § 46202) and common-law trespass principles still govern shared-line disputes. Cost-sharing for a partition fence between adjoining owners is a civil matter heard in Berks County Magisterial District Court, not at City Hall. The City enforces zoning compliance; private property disputes are between the neighbors.

Reading Zoning Code § 600-1301 requires a permit from the Zoning Administrator for any fence, wall, or similar structure greater than three feet in height. Fences three feet or shorter generally do not need a permit but still must comply with corner sight-triangle, material, and historic-district rules. Permits are issued through the Department of Community Development.

Reading Zoning Code § 600-1304 bans barbed-wire fences in residential settings, electrically-charged fences (except invisible pet fences), broken glass affixed to fence tops, and junk materials. Barbed wire is also restricted in front yards and within six feet of grade citywide, and cannot project beyond the exterior face of a fence or wall. Commercial and industrial sites have somewhat broader latitude.

Every swimming pool in Reading must be enclosed by a permanent barrier or fence at least four feet in height with no opening larger than four inches, and the gate must be securely locked when the pool is not in use, per Zoning Code § 600-1013. Aboveground pool walls may count as part of the barrier, and the access ladder must be removable or secured to a height of four feet. Hot tubs and spas may substitute a locking cover for the four-foot fence. These rules are reinforced by the Pennsylvania UCC-adopted International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC 2018), which sets a 48-inch barrier height statewide.

Any swimming pool in Reading - in-ground or aboveground - capable of holding water more than 24 inches deep requires both a zoning permit under Chapter 600 (location, setback, barrier) and a UCC building permit under 34 Pa. Code Ch. 403 (structural, electrical, ISPSC 2018 compliance). Hot tubs and spas with secure locking covers are exempt from the zoning fence permit but still need a UCC electrical/equipment permit.

Pool fencing in Reading is the strictest of (a) local Code § 600-1013 - four-foot barrier, four-inch opening max, locking gate - and (b) Pennsylvania ISPSC 2018 § 305 adopted under the UCC - 48-inch barrier, 4-inch sphere test, 2-3/8-inch maximum bottom gap, self-closing/self-latching outward-opening gate with latch hardware at 54 inches. Both apply concurrently and the stricter rule governs each element.

Reading pool owners must comply with: (1) Code § 600-1013 prohibiting discharge of pool water onto other properties without owner consent; (2) the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (15 U.S.C. § 8003) anti-entrapment drain-cover requirements; (3) the ISPSC 2018 alarm, suction, and circulation safety provisions adopted statewide under the PA UCC; and (4) NEC Article 680 electrical bonding and GFCI rules. Public pools are additionally licensed and inspected under 28 Pa. Code Ch. 18.

Reading is a third-class city in Berks County (population approximately 95,000) governed by the Reading Zoning Ordinance (a comprehensive 2014 rewrite, separate from the Reading City Code on eCode360 at https://ecode360.com/RE1294). Pennsylvania has no statewide accessory dwelling unit preemption statute, so ADU permissibility, density, owner-occupancy requirements, and design standards in Reading are determined entirely by the Reading Zoning Ordinance under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (53 P.S. §10101 et seq.). Property owners must consult the Zoning Ordinance and Reading Department of Community Development for whether ADUs (variously called accessory apartments, in-law suites, or second dwelling units) are permitted by right, by special exception, or by conditional use in the applicable residential district.

Converting a Reading garage into habitable space (a bedroom, in-law suite, home office, or ADU) requires both (1) zoning approval under the Reading Zoning Ordinance for the change of use (because the converted space is no longer accessory parking and may count toward floor area or trigger an ADU classification) and (2) a building permit under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code at 34 Pa Code §401.7. Conversions must meet the 2018 International Residential Code for habitable spaces (egress windows under IRC R310, ceiling height under IRC R305, ventilation, smoke and CO alarms under IRC R314/R315), and Reading's local off-street parking minimums in the Zoning Ordinance must still be satisfied.

Sheds and similar accessory structures in Reading are regulated through two layers: (1) the Reading Zoning Ordinance, which sets dimensional standards (size, height, setbacks, lot coverage, location relative to the principal dwelling) by district; and (2) the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code at 34 Pa Code §403.1, which exempts non-residential utility sheds under 1,000 square feet from UCC permitting but does not exempt them from local zoning compliance. Reading property owners typically need a zoning permit from the Department of Community Development even when no building permit is required, especially in the city's dense rowhouse neighborhoods where rear-yard space is constrained.

Reading, PA (Berks County, population approximately 95,000) regulates residential fire pits through Chapter 180 Part 14 of the Codified Ordinances, which adopts the 2018 International Fire Code (IFC) as the city's Fire Prevention Code with local amendments at Section 180-1407. Under IFC Section 307, recreational fires must be at least 25 feet from any structure or combustible material and portable outdoor fireplaces must be at least 15 feet from a structure.

Reading restricts open burning through Chapter 237 of the Codified Ordinances, the 2018 IFC adopted in Chapter 180 Part 14, and statewide air-quality rules at 25 Pa. Code Section 129.14. Burning of leaves, yard waste, household garbage, treated wood, plastic and tires is prohibited. Only IFC-307-compliant recreational fires (seasoned wood, 25-foot setback, attended) and approved cooking fires are allowed.

Tree removal in the City of Reading is governed by a combination of Reading Shade Tree Commission authority (over street trees and trees in the public right-of-way) and the City's land development/subdivision ordinance for development sites. Removal of a street tree without Commission approval is prohibited. Removal of healthy trees on development sites typically requires inclusion in the approved land-development plan, with replacement planting required by the Commission's policies.

Trimming a wholly private tree on a Reading property generally does not require a City permit. Street trees in the public right-of-way fall under the jurisdiction of the Reading Shade Tree Commission, established by Bill No. 42 (September 12, 1973), and any pruning, trimming, or removal of a street tree must be coordinated with the City Arborist (610-655-6035). Reading is a recognized Tree City USA community. Pennsylvania common-law self-help allows trimming a neighbor's overhanging branches up to the property line.

Water restrictions in Reading flow from a combination of Pennsylvania Drought Emergency Act declarations (3 P.S. §1701 et seq.) issued through PA DEP and the Commonwealth's emergency-management framework, plus the operating rules of the Reading Area Water Authority (RAWA), Reading's municipal water supplier. PA DEP declares Drought Watch, Drought Warning, or Drought Emergency status for each county; declared drought triggers voluntary or mandatory outdoor-watering restrictions.