Berks County sets no light-trespass rule. Whether a neighbor's floodlight spilling onto your property is a violation depends on your municipality's outdoor-lighting ordinance; absent one, a persistent glare may be pursued as a private nuisance.
Light trespass — unwanted light crossing onto a neighboring property — is addressed by municipal lighting ordinances under the PA Municipalities Planning Code (53 P.S. §10101 et seq.), not by Berks County. Ordinances modeled on the Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council require fixtures to be installed "so as to minimize light trespass, backlight, uplight, and glare," often capping illumination at the property line (commonly around 0.1–0.5 foot-candles). Where a municipality has no lighting ordinance, a homeowner's remedy is a private-nuisance claim in the Court of Common Pleas if the light substantially and unreasonably interferes with use of their property. Start by asking your municipal code office whether a lighting standard applies.
Under a municipal ordinance, offending lighting can be ordered reshielded, reaimed, or removed with fines. A nuisance suit can yield an injunction and damages.
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 light trespass rules stack up against other locations.
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