Building permits, zoning and septic in Borough of West Reading, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permits

Required for new buildings and regulated alterations; borough Building Code Official¹

Zoning

Borough zoning ordinance applies²

Septic

Local-agency approval for onlot systems; confirm the serving SEO with the borough³⁴

RV and tiny-home living

Not confirmed; ask the borough Zoning Officer about the proposed residential use²⁵

Owner-builder

No general statewide contractor license for most work; building approval still applies⁶⁷

Occupancy

UCC residential buildings require a certificate of occupancy⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Does Borough of West Reading have zoning?

Borough of West Reading has a municipal zoning ordinance, so the absence of countywide zoning does not make a West Reading parcel unrestricted.² West Reading publishes district regulations, but we could not confirm parcel-specific minimum lot size, setbacks, coverage or height limits; ask the borough Zoning Officer to identify the district and the standards for your proposed building.⁹ The Zoning Officer works in the borough Code Department, with zoning questions directed to extension 223.⁵

Do you need a building permit in Borough of West Reading, PA?

West Reading requires building permits for new buildings, changes in occupancy and work that enlarges, alters, repairs, moves or demolishes existing buildings.¹ Start with the borough Code Enforcement Department and provide a detailed scope of work identifying the property as residential or commercial.¹ Pennsylvania requires inspections of construction for which a residential UCC permit was issued, with the work kept accessible for inspection.¹⁰ A residential building governed by the UCC may not be occupied without a certificate of occupancy from a building code official.⁸

How do septic permits work inside Borough of West Reading?

For a West Reading proposal involving onlot sewage disposal, Pennsylvania generally requires a local-agency permit before installation, contracting for construction, construction, occupancy or use, subject to statutory exceptions.⁴ Local agencies employ Sewage Enforcement Officers; DEP provides the statewide onlot-program framework rather than serving as the ordinary local permit counter.³ Ask West Reading Code Enforcement to identify the serving SEO and confirm whether the parcel must use public sewer; we could not confirm the borough-specific connection requirements.¹ A composting toilet in a new residence still requires an approved way to treat washwater or excess liquid.¹¹

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Borough of West Reading?

We could not confirm permission to live in an RV, occupy a tiny home or camp temporarily while building in West Reading; take the proposed use to the borough Zoning Officer before buying a unit or committing to a parcel.⁵ West Reading has zoning, and its district regulations are the starting point for reviewing a proposed residential use.²⁹ For a tiny dwelling governed by the residential UCC, Pennsylvania’s certificate-of-occupancy requirement applies before residential occupancy.⁸

Building a home in Borough of West Reading: what comes first?

• Ask the West Reading Zoning Officer to identify the parcel’s district and review the proposed use and site plan; site-plan approval must precede construction.⁵
• Submit the building application and plans to the borough; the borough allows submission alongside the site plan but withholds the building permit until site-plan approval.⁵
• Resolve onlot sewage approval with the serving local agency if the home will use an onlot system.⁴
• Arrange required inspections, keep construction accessible and obtain the residential certificate of occupancy before moving in.¹⁰⁸

What should you check before buying in Borough of West Reading?

For an existing West Reading property, the borough performs a sale-related inspection and records apparent violations; sellers must certify that housing, building, zoning, safety and fire-code violations are addressed.¹ For new development in a Special Flood Hazard Area, Pennsylvania requires a municipal floodplain development permit or equivalent before work begins.¹² West Reading also has a subdivision and land-development chapter, so ask the borough about review before dividing a parcel.¹³ For land outside West Reading, use the Berks County guide and identify the municipality administering that parcel’s zoning.¹⁴

Watch-outs

• West Reading building approval does not replace the separate local-agency approval needed for an onlot sewage system.¹⁴
• We could not confirm West Reading’s RV occupancy, tiny-home, minimum dwelling size or temporary camping rules; ask the borough Zoning Officer about the exact proposed use.⁵
• Pennsylvania’s lack of a general statewide contractor license for most work does not remove the residential UCC building-permit requirement.⁶⁷

Sources

1. West Reading Code Enforcement Department (westreadingborough.com)
2. Chapter 455 Zoning - Borough of West Reading, PA (eCode360) (Borough of West Reading), quoted and re-checked
3. Act 537 Sewage Facilities (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
4. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
5. West Reading Zoning Officer (westreadingborough.com)
6. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Part 3 District Regulations - Borough of West Reading, PA (eCode360) (Borough of West Reading), quoted and re-checked
10. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. 25 Pa. Code § 73.65. Recycling toilet, incinerating toilet or composting toilet (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. PennsylvaniA Floodplain Development Guide (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Table of Contents - Borough of West Reading, PA (eCode360) (Borough of West Reading), quoted and re-checked
14. Berks County - Multi-Municipal Planning, quoted and re-checked

Written October 15, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.