Reading Rental Permits and Inspections: Landlord Rules

Anyone who rents out a house, apartment or mixed-use building in the City of Reading must register it with the city's Property Maintenance Division, pay a $100 annual housing fee per parcel, and let a city inspector through every two to five years. This is a City of Reading program run from City Hall at 815 Washington St., Room 1-30; Berks County has no role in it, and the rules stop at the city line.

The city code and the paper form call the permit a "housing registration"; the online portal calls it a "Housing License." They are the same thing. A rental also needs a separate business privilege license, covered below.

Who has to register

Section 308-102 requires the owner of every residential or mixed-use parcel to apply for and renew a housing registration. Owners living in their own single-family home are excluded but must confirm owner occupancy with an ID showing the address or a utility bill (application instructions), and the $100 fee is waived when the owner, a spouse or a family member lives in a single-family property (§ 308-115). A rented house, an apartment building, a rooming house, a vacant house and the apartments above a storefront all register and pay.

Registration is due within 30 days of buying the property or changing its use (§ 308-103). The division mails every buyer a New Owner Letter with the application packet.

How to apply

The city's online JotForms for registration and renewal were offline on Oct. 19, 2026, with notices sending applicants to the Reading Self-Serve portal, which lists housing licenses for Rental, Owner Occupied, Family Occupied and Vacant properties.

1. Settle zoning first. § 308-103 makes a zoning permit application part of the registration "as applicable," and the city's ordinance summary says the division checks your unit count against Zoning's records before processing.
2. Get a Business Privilege License for rentals from the Citizens Service Center, Room 1-27, or through the Self-Serve portal, which lists "Business License Registration - Rental." The paper application costs $55 a year (§ 212-105), must be signed in the office or notarized, and asks for copies of your zoning and housing permits, while the housing form asks for your license number, so ask which to file first. The license also triggers the business privilege tax, 2.25 mills on gross rents per the city's landlord guide.
3. File the housing application. Online, create an account at the Reading Self-Serve portal and choose Apply, Licenses, then "Housing License - Rental." On paper, use the Housing Registration form, also in Spanish on the welcome packet page. You need the owner's name as it appears on the county parcel record, a copy of a government ID, an EIN and three principals' names for a company, the business license number, and the property type, unit count and occupancy.
4. Pay the $100. Paper applicants send one check or money order payable to "City of Reading" to the Property Maintenance Division, 815 Washington St., Room 1-30, Reading, PA 19601. Incomplete applications are not processed.
5. Wait for the inspection decision. A property inspected within the past two years is registered right away; otherwise the division schedules an inspection first.

The division can deny a registration if the property violates any code or has been condemned, or if the owner has three or more past failures to fix health-and-safety violations, open violations, unpaid fees or tax delinquencies (§ 308-105).

Renewing every year

Every registration comes due again on or before April 1 of each calendar year, no matter when you first filed, or the next business day when April 1 falls on a weekend or holiday (§ 308-104). The fee schedule in § 212-117 charges $90 if paid on or before Feb. 27, $100 through April 1, and a $150 per-parcel surcharge after that. Miss July 1 and the division may revoke the registration, which means applying for reinstatement and paying every outstanding fee first. Bills and renewal forms go out in January or February; the renewal asks you to affirm that smoke alarms, fire escapes and exits work.

Owners must report a new mailing address within 10 days (§ 308-107) and any structural change within seven days (§ 308-111). Notices go by first-class mail to the address on file, and the code presumes you received them.

Out-of-town owners: the local agent rule

If you live more than 25 miles from the city, § 308-110 requires you to appoint an adult or a company as your responsible local agent. The agent must live in or keep a principal office in Berks County, must let inspectors in, and can be served with notices, orders and summonses on your behalf; a written power of attorney must be on file with the division. Use the Responsible Local Agent form, which takes a copy of the agent's ID, and refile the agent sections whenever the agent changes.

The inspection

Every registered property goes into a rotating cycle. § 308-108 sets the interval at not less than every two years and not more than every five, and the city's Property Maintenance page says a computer schedules the visits block by block. The owner, not the city, must tell tenants the date and time and get their consent; complaints can bring an inspector at any time.

Inspectors enforce the city's version of the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code (§ 180-1301). The division's code summary is the checklist: a fire extinguisher in every kitchen; smoke detectors on every level and in and outside every bedroom, interconnected in buildings of three or more units; carbon monoxide alarms; a second exit in any building with three or more units or floors; heat capable of 68 degrees; screens from May 1 to Sept. 30; and sound floors, rails, steps, gutters and paint.

Afterward you get a letter of compliance or a report listing each violation with a deadline. If you cannot make the appointment, send written notice at least 24 hours ahead through the city's cancellation form. Without it, or if the inspector cannot get in, § 212-129 charges $150, then $250, then $400 for a third miss of any kind (buildings of 16 to 49 units add $200 per occurrence, and 50 or more add $300), and the division may placard the property and seek a court warrant.

What the inspection costs

The code's rental inspection fees, § 212-129, were last amended Aug. 24, 2026 (Ordinance 71-2026). Initial inspection and re-inspection, by property size:

• Single-family (one unit): $150 and $125.
• Two units: $200 and $175.
• Three or four units: $225 and $200.
• Five or six units: $295 and $250.
• Seven to 15 units: $395 and $300.
• 16 or more units: $450 plus $10 per unit, and $400 plus $10 per unit.
• Boarding house: $200 and $150.

The re-inspection fee applies when the property passes. If it fails, the first noncompliance penalty is $350 plus $25 per open violation, the second and third are $100 plus $25 per open violation, and later ones are $1,000 plus $25 per open violation. Unpaid bills gain a 15 percent delinquency fee and go to collections. Section 106.6 of the property maintenance code lets you ask in writing for more time.

The city's two other versions of this schedule disagree with it. The Code Summary and Fee Schedule PDF (revised February 2022) matches the code's initial and re-inspection fees but charges 14 percent, labels the first failure fee an "Extension Inspection" ($200 plus $25 for five- and six-unit buildings, against $350 in the code), adds a separate Health and Safety inspection line ($150 including one re-check, $75 for later ones) and a $1,000 fee for a fourth no-show that the code does not have. The undated fee schedule web page omits single-family properties, lists lower initial fees (for example, $165 for two units and $315 for seven to 15) and flat penalties of $350, $1,000 and $2,000. Go by the code, which City Council amended this August, and ask the division if your bill says otherwise.

Fines and skipped registrations

Renting an unregistered property is unlawful under § 308-112. The division posts a placard and adds a $100 per-unit surcharge to the application fee (§ 212-117); the owner has 15 days to file a complete application, after which a continuing surcharge of $250 per unit per month runs until it arrives, and the division may condemn and order vacated any unregistered or uninspected rental (§ 308-118). The city's older ordinance summary slides quote a $1,000 per-unit penalty and a $300 monthly surcharge; neither figure appears in the current code or form.

Ignoring a violation notice is a summary offense. Under the city's property maintenance code (§ 180-1301, section 106.4), a conviction carries a fine of $75 to $500 for the first two continuing violations of the same section at the same property and $150 to $1,000 after that, plus a $50 Neighborhood Mitigation Penalty, costs, and up to 90 days in jail for nonpayment. Each day and each section is a separate offense.

To contest a fee or finding, § 308-119 gives you 15 calendar days to ask the Director of Community Development in writing for a review, then 15 days from that decision to request a Code and License Appeals Board hearing with a $100 deposit (§ 212-104), refunded if the city is not fully upheld. The online appeal form covers inspection violations, inspection penalties, illegal-housing penalties, quality-of-life violations and work-order bills. After the board comes the Berks County Court of Common Pleas.

Lead paint

Reading does not require a lead-safe certification to register or rent a unit; none of the housing code, fee schedule or forms asks for one. The city's lead chapter works by complaint. Chapter 328, last rewritten Dec. 4, 2023, requires a risk assessment when a child under six with a blood lead level of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter or more lives in or regularly visits a dwelling, when a unit gets federal rehab money, or when the owner joins the city's lead program. A hazard must be abated by state-certified contractors at the owner's expense and cleared before the unit is reoccupied; the city can placard the property, charges $150 to lift the placard, and the fine on conviction is $100 to $1,000 per day plus up to 30 days in jail. A landlord may not evict a family to dodge an abatement order. City lead inspections cost $100, with $50 for each extension or no-show (§ 212-118).

The city's Lead Hazard Control Program offers free risk assessments and hazard removal for pre-1978 homes where a child under six lives or visits at least 60 hours a year or someone is pregnant, and the household meets HUD income limits; apply at leadprogram@readingpa.gov or 610-655-6460. In September, City Council took up a staff position funded by a $1,296,998 HUD lead and healthy-homes grant (our preview).

Tenants: how to report an unsafe rental

The property maintenance code (§ 180-1301, section 101.2.1) gives every tenant the right to report a suspected violation to the Property Maintenance Division and says a landlord cannot evict a tenant in retaliation. File a complaint with the Citizens Service Center at 1-877-727-3234, through the Reading 311 app, or at csc@readingpa.gov; the division's page says an inspector investigates promptly. Tenants can look up a property's inspections and code cases under Search Public Records on the Self-Serve portal, or request records under the Right-to-Know Law, which works at the city the way our county Right-to-Know guide describes.

If you just bought the property

Every sale in Reading, whatever the use, needs a Certificate of Transfer, and the division's page and the New Owner Letter say a Health and Safety inspection is required for every newly transferred property. That is the first inspection a new landlord faces. Chapter 431 requires the seller to apply for the certificate and the inspection at least 30 days before settlement, with a rush fee under 15 days; if that did not happen, the division bills the new owner for the inspection after the deed is recorded. Inheritances, transfers between spouses in a divorce and government acquisitions are exempt. § 212-127 prices the inspection at $200, though the 2022 fee PDF still says $150, and the city's older ordinance-summary slides say these inspections are "typically" done only at owner-occupied homes, which the current pages contradict.

The division is part of the city's Community Development Department; the city's 2027 draft budget is covered in our Reading 2027 budget tracker. Your tenants' parking belongs to a separate city agency, covered in the Reading Parking Authority guide.

FAQ

Do I need a rental license in Reading, PA?

Yes. The city requires a housing registration for every residential or mixed-use parcel that is not the owner's own single-family home, plus a $55 business privilege license for the rental business. The registration costs $100 per parcel a year and renews every April 1.

How often does the City of Reading inspect rental properties?

Every two to five years on a rotating schedule, plus any time a tenant complains. The owner pays the inspection fee, from $150 for a single-family rental to $450 plus $10 per unit for 16 or more units.

What if my Reading rental fails inspection?

You get a report listing each violation with a deadline, then a re-inspection. Passing costs the re-inspection fee ($125 for a single-family home); failing costs $350 plus $25 per open violation the first time. You can ask for an extension in writing or appeal within 15 days.

I live outside Berks County. Can I rent out a house in Reading?

Yes, but if you live more than 25 miles from the city you must appoint a responsible local agent who lives or keeps an office in Berks County, and file the agent form and a power of attorney with the division. The agent must let inspectors in and accept notices for you.

Does Reading require a lead-safe certificate for rentals?

No. Reading ties no lead certification to rental registration. Its lead ordinance applies when a young child in the home has an elevated blood lead level or the property takes federal rehab money, and the city runs a free lead hazard program for eligible pre-1978 homes.

Sources and contact

• Property Maintenance and Codes Enforcement: mission, computer-scheduled inspection cycle, complaint process.
• Housing Welcome Packet: links to every housing form, including Spanish versions.
• Housing Registration form (rev. 6/22/2022) and instructions: required documents, the $100 fee and waiver, the 30-day deadline, denial reasons, Room 1-30 address.
• Responsible Local Agent form: 25-mile rule, Berks County residency, division fax number.
• New Owner Letter: illegal-unit definition, $100 per-unit surcharge, Room 1-30 office hours.
• Code Summary and Fee Schedule (rev. 2/2022) and the fee schedule web page: the two conflicting city versions of the inspection fees.
• Property Maintenance Code Summary: inspection checklist.
• Housing Ordinance Summary presentation: application flow chart, renewal cycle, older penalty figures, division phone number.
• Housing Registration online page: JotForm offline notice; Reading Self-Serve portal: "Housing License - Rental" application and public records search.
• Inspection Cancellation and Rescheduling Form: 24-hour notice rule and $150/$250/$400 fees; Property Maintenance Enforcement Appeal Form: appeal subjects and 15-day rule.
• Landlord Business Privilege License application and guide: $55 fee, notarization, Keystone Collections and the 2.25-mill tax.
• Citizens Service Center: Rooms 1-27 and 1-33, hours, phone, email, Reading 311 app.
• Lead Hazard Control Program: eligibility, consultation form, email and phone.
• Reading Code of Ordinances (current through Sept. 28, 2026): Chapter 308, Housing; § 212-117 housing fees; § 212-129 rental inspection fees; § 212-105 business license fee; § 212-104 appeal deposit; § 212-118 lead inspection fees; § 180-1301 property maintenance code (tenant reporting, fines, extensions); Chapter 431 property sales; § 212-127 property sale fees; Chapter 328 lead poisoning prevention.

City of Reading Property Maintenance Division: Reading City Hall, 815 Washington St., Room 1-30, Reading, PA 19601-3690; 1-877-727-3234 (Citizens Service Center, the number printed on every housing form); 610-655-6283 (division line listed in the city's ordinance summary); fax 610-655-6525. The New Owner Letter gives Room 1-30 hours of Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the Citizens Service Center (Rooms 1-27 and 1-33, where business privilege licenses are issued) lists 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Complaints and questions: csc@readingpa.gov or the Reading 311 app. Lead program: leadprogram@readingpa.gov, 610-655-6460.