Reading, PA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- City Code Ch. 127, Part 2
- Adopted
- 8-30-1989, Ord. No. 89-1989
- Last amended
- 5-29-2007, Ord. No. 37-2007
- Max fine
- $1,000 plus costs
- Max jail (default)
- 30 days
- Covers
- Streets, sidewalks, parks, playgrounds
- Private property exception
- Owner's consent required
Summary
Reading bars drinking alcohol in public places unless the law permits it, and bars drinking on private property without the owner's consent. City Code Chapter 127, Part 2 covers streets, sidewalks, parks and playgrounds, and violators face fines up to $1,000 plus court costs.
No person within the City shall consume alcoholic beverages on public places unless permitted by law or on private property without the consent of the owner. With respect to governmentally owned property, the consent of duly authorized representatives of the governmental entity shall be required.
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
Reading Codified Ordinances Chapter 127, Part 2, "Consumption Without Consent of Owner," adopted August 30, 1989 by Ord. No. 89-1989 and amended May 29, 2007 by Ord. No. 37-2007, is the city's open-container and public-drinking rule. " Section 127-201 defines PUBLIC PLACE broadly as "any street, alley, sidewalk, park, playground or place to which the general public has access," so the ban reaches sidewalks and parked cars along a curb just as much as it reaches Riverfront Park. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES is defined by cross-reference to "both brewed and malt beverages and liquor as defined in the Pennsylvania Liquor Code," so beer, wine and spirits are all covered.
" A person drinking on their own porch or a permitted festival footprint with the owner's or the City's sign-off is not violating the section; a person drinking on a stranger's stoop, a vacant lot, or a City sidewalk without a permit is. , and from Part 3's bottle-club permit regime.
Violations & Fines
Section 127-203, as amended May 29, 2001 by Ord. No. 14-2001, makes any violation of Part 2 punishable by "a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days." The section applies to "any person, firm or corporation," so a business that allows the conduct on property it controls can be cited alongside the individual drinker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drink alcohol on a Reading sidewalk or in a city park?
Can I drink on someone else's property in Reading?
What happens if I'm caught drinking in public in Reading?
Does the open-container rule apply to beer, wine and liquor equally?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reading
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