Reading, PA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Reading, PA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 600-1108, Short-Term Rentals
- Adopted
- 10-13-2025, Ord. No. 58-2025
- By-right districts
- C-C, C-R, C-N, C-H
- Special exception district
- R-3 only
- R-3 spacing rule
- 1,000 ft from another STR unit
- Commercial-district spacing rule
- 500 ft from another STR unit
- Apartment-building cap
- 20% of units in 10+ unit buildings
Summary
Reading allows short-term rentals by right in its commercial districts and by special exception in R-3, but only inside a conforming dwelling meeting district-specific spacing rules, and requires a Zoning Permit covering a use-and-occupancy agreement, maintenance specs and nuisance terms before renting begins.
A short-term rental unit shall be permitted by right as an accessory use for residential occupancy within the C-C, C-R, C-N or C-H Zoning Districts and by special exception within the R-3 Zoning District. The following base requirements shall apply to all short-term rentals: (1) A short-term rental unit may be permitted within the R-3 Zoning District, provided that that it is contained within a conforming one-family detached dwelling, a one-family semi-detached dwelling and/or one-family attached dwelling (townhouse), which shall be located at least 1,000 feet from another permitted short-term rental unit. ... C. The Zoning Permit shall include: the supplemental use and occupancy agreement; property maintenance specifications; nuisance provisions; and other documentation required by the Zoning Office. The general enforcement actions shall be endorsed by the record owner of the short-term rental property.
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 Section 600-1108, Short-Term Rentals, added by Ordinance No. 58-2025 on October 13, 2025, sets the citywide permit framework. Under Subsection A, a short-term rental (defined in Section 600-2202 as a conforming dwelling rented for overnight lodging up to 30 consecutive days) is permitted by right as an accessory use in the C-C, C-R, C-N and C-H Zoning Districts, and only by special exception in R-3. Spacing rules attach to the permit: a one-family detached, semi-detached or attached (townhouse) unit in R-3 must sit at least 1,000 feet from another permitted short-term rental, while the same housing types in the commercial districts need only 500 feet of separation.
A short-term rental inside an apartment building is also permitted if the unit is part of a group of nine or fewer apartments, or, in a group of ten or more, if no more than 20 percent of the building's units are designated short-term rentals. Subsection C spells out what the Zoning Permit application must include: a supplemental use and occupancy agreement, property maintenance specifications, nuisance provisions, and any other documentation the Zoning Office requires, with the general enforcement actions endorsed by the record owner.
Section 600-301 folds this into the City's general permitting process: no person may commence a use change, including converting a dwelling to a short-term rental, until the Zoning Administrator reviews the application and issues the permit or determines none is required.
Violations & Fines
Because Section 600-1108 sits inside Chapter 600, Zoning, violations run through Section 600-206: operating a short-term rental without the required Zoning Permit, or outside the district and spacing limits set in Subsection A, exposes the owner to a civil enforcement judgment of $100 to $500 per violation plus court costs and the City's attorney fees, imposed by a Magisterial District Judge, with each day of noncompliance counted as a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run a short-term rental in Reading?
Can I open a short-term rental in a residential zone in Reading?
How close can two short-term rentals be to each other in Reading's commercial districts?
Can an apartment building operate short-term rental units in Reading?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reading
How Reading compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Reading to another location·View the Pennsylvania short-term rentals overview
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