Reading, PA Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- 2 incidents in 12 months
- Owner deadline
- 10 working days to act
- Consequence
- Housing permit suspension/revocation
- Records retained
- 5 years
- Adopted
- April 13, 2026, Ord. 25-2026
Summary
Reading's disruptive-conduct ordinance targets loud, untimely rental-unit behavior: after two documented incidents in a 12-month period, the property owner must begin eviction within 10 working days or risk losing the unit's housing permit.
Police officers or public officers shall investigate alleged incidents of disruptive conduct. They shall complete a disruptive conduct form upon finding that the reported incident constitutes disruptive conduct as defined herein. ... A. Eviction. After two disruptive conduct incidents in any 12-month period by an occupant documented by disruptive conduct reports, the owner shall have ten working days from the date of the written notice to begin eviction proceedings against the occupant(s) or pursue an appeal.
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
Under Chapter 198, Part 1, police or public officers investigate loud, untimely, or riotous conduct at rental units and file a disruptive conduct report. A second confirmed report against an occupant within 12 months starts a 10-working-day clock for the owner to begin eviction or file an appeal; failing to act triggers suspension or revocation of the property's housing permit. The Property Maintenance Division keeps a five-year list of reported occupants and evictions. Owners and occupants may appeal to the Code and License Appeals Board, then to the Berks County Court of Common Pleas.
Violations & Fines
Owner inaction after a second incident starts housing-permit suspension/revocation proceedings; the permit isn't reinstated until the reinstatement fee is paid and the disruptive occupant is evicted (or a pending appeal succeeds).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who investigates a loud-party complaint at a Reading rental?
What happens after a second loud-party report in Reading?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reading
Compare Reading to another location·View the Pennsylvania public conduct overview
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