Berks County has no countywide dark-sky ordinance. Outdoor-lighting standards are set by municipalities, many of which follow the Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council model ordinance requiring shielded, downward-facing (full-cutoff) fixtures to curb glare, sky glow, and light trespass.
Pennsylvania delegates outdoor-lighting rules to municipalities under the Municipalities Planning Code (53 P.S. §10101 et seq.); Berks County does not impose a countywide standard. The Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council publishes model ordinances (zoning, subdivision, and stand-alone) that many boroughs and townships adopt. Typical requirements: fixtures must be full-cutoff and downward-facing, installed to minimize backlight, uplight, and glare, and some ordinances require commercial and recreational lighting to be reduced or extinguished by automatic controls between 11:00 p.m. and dawn. Check your municipality's zoning ordinance for the exact lumen, height, and shielding standards that apply to new lighting.
Non-conforming outdoor lighting can be cited under a municipal ordinance, with orders to reshield, reaim, or replace fixtures and possible daily fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Reading, PA
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...
Reading, PA
Reading Zoning Code § 600-1304 bans barbed-wire fences in residential settings, electrically-charged fences (except invisible pet fences), broken glass affix...
Reading, PA
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) a...
Reading, PA
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. F...
Reading, PA
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 Co...
Reading, PA
Propane (LP-gas) storage in Reading is regulated through the 2018 International Fire Code Chapter 61 (Liquefied Petroleum Gases), adopted by Reading Chapter ...
See how Reading's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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