Reading, PA Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Chapter 308, Part 1 of the Reading Codified Ordinances requires every owner of a residential or mixed-use parcel in the city to register the property with the Property Maintenance Division under Section 308-102. The only carve-out is a single-family home occupied by its owner, and even that owner must confirm the occupancy to the city. B. The written or electronic application requires the owner's name, business address, date of birth, phone numbers, and a driver's license or government ID number (an EIN if the owner is a corporation, LLC or partnership), a zoning permit application where applicable, verification of participation in the city's trash and recycling programs, and the business privilege license number issued through the Berks Earned Income Tax Bureau.

A; paying on time earns a discount on the Fee Schedule, while late payment triggers a late fee and, after July 1, possible revocation under Section 308-112. Owners who live more than 25 miles from Reading must designate a responsible local agent who resides or maintains an office in Berks County, filed with a power of attorney, effective 90 days after the section's adoption under Section 308-110. The city can deny or revoke a registration for pending code litigation, condemnation, three or more unresolved code violations involving a threat to health and safety, delinquent property-maintenance fees, or tax delinquency under Sections 308-105 and 308-106. B.