What it takes
to open here
Pick a type of business and get the actual sequence: register the company, prove the use is allowed at the address, build to code, pass inspection, then the licences only your category needs. Start with a zoning permit application at the Community Development counter in City Hall, 815 Washington Street; in Reading the zoning permit is the gate that every other approval hangs off.
Local authority: City of Reading, Department of Community Development — City Hall, 815 Washington Street
These are the counters that take the applications. Call before you visit — several of them review plans by appointment only.
Home & hardware in Reading
13 steps- 01Register the business entityPA Department of State, Bureau of Corporations & Charitable Organizations
File a Certificate of Organization (LLC) or Articles of Incorporation, or a fictitious-name registration if you trade under a name that is not your own.
Typical cost $125 LLC / $125 corporation / $70 fictitious nameTypical time Same week onlineWhere to applyPA Department of State, Bureau of Corporations & Charitable Organizations401 North Street, Room 206, Harrisburg, PA 17120Mon–Fri 8:00am–4:45pm - 02Get a federal EINInternal Revenue Service
Free tax ID number. Required to open a business bank account, run payroll, or file most licences below.
Typical cost FreeTypical time Immediate onlineWhere to apply - 03Register for state taxes (the old PA-100, now myPATH)PA Department of Revenue
One registration that sets up sales-tax collection, employer withholding and unemployment compensation. Anything sold at retail needs the sales-tax licence.
Typical cost FreeTypical time 1–3 weeks for the licence to arriveWhere to apply - 04Workers' compensation coveragePA Department of Labor & Industry, Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Mandatory from your first employee, including part-time. Sole proprietors with no staff are exempt.
Typical cost Premium based on payroll and class codeTypical time Before the first shiftWhere to applyPA Bureau of Workers' Compensation651 Boas Street, 8th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17121 - 05Walk through the state startup guidePA Business One-Stop Shop
Free personalised checklist and adviser referrals covering entity choice, registration and licensing before you commit to a lease.
Typical cost FreeTypical time Same dayWhere to apply
- 01Zoning permitCity of Reading Zoning & Planning
Confirms the use is allowed at the address. Uses not permitted by right go to the Zoning Hearing Board for a special exception or variance.
Typical cost ~$100–250 permit; ~$500+ for a Zoning Hearing Board applicationTypical time 2–3 weeks; hearings monthlyWhere to applyCity of Reading Zoning & Planning (Community Development, 1st floor)City Hall, 815 Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601Mon–Fri 8:00am–4:00pm - 02Business privilege licence & registrationCity of Reading Tax / Treasury Office
City business licence plus registration for the business privilege tax on gross receipts and, with employees, the Local Services Tax.
Typical cost Licence ~$50–100; tax is a rate on gross receiptsTypical time Same weekWhere to applyCity of Reading Tax / Treasury OfficeCity Hall, 815 Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601 - 03Building / trades permitsCity of Reading Building & Trades Codes Enforcement
Separate permits for building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work; sealed plans for most commercial fit-outs, and trades must be city-registered.
Typical cost Scaled to construction value; commonly $300–3,000+Typical time 3–6 weeksWhere to applyCity of Reading Building & Trades Codes EnforcementCity Hall, 815 Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601Mon–Fri 8:00am–4:00pm - 04Certificate of occupancyCity of Reading Building & Trades Codes Enforcement
Final approval to occupy for the new use, issued after trades and fire inspections clear.
Typical cost ~$100–250Typical time After inspectionsWhere to applyCity of Reading Building & Trades Codes EnforcementCity Hall, 815 Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601Mon–Fri 8:00am–4:00pm - 05Fire prevention code permit & inspectionReading Fire Department, Fire Prevention
Annual commercial fire inspection plus a pre-opening check on exits, suppression and alarms.
Typical cost ~$100–250Typical time 1–3 weeksWhere to applyReading Fire Department — Fire Prevention / Fire MarshalCity Hall, 815 Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601 - 06Health licence (food, personal care, pools)City of Reading Bureau of Public Health
Reading runs its own health bureau, so food and body-art licensing and inspection are city-level here rather than state.
Typical cost ~$150–400 annually depending on facility typeTypical time 2–4 weeks including plan reviewWhere to applyCity of Reading Bureau of Public HealthCity Hall, 815 Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601 - 07Sign permitCity of Reading Zoning & Planning
Required for wall, projecting, awning and illuminated signs; downtown and Penn Street frontage have extra design limits.
Typical cost ~$75–200Typical time 2–3 weeksWhere to applyCity of Reading Zoning & Planning (Community Development, 1st floor)City Hall, 815 Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601Mon–Fri 8:00am–4:00pm
- 01Sales-tax licence displayed on sitePA Department of Revenue
The PA-100 sales-tax licence must be posted where customers can see it. Clothing and most groceries are exempt from PA sales tax; prepared food is not.
Typical cost FreeTypical time 1–3 weeks
- —Reading is one of the few cities of its size in Pennsylvania with its own health bureau — food plans go to the city at 815 Washington Street, not the state.
- —No open zoning data layer is published, so pin-level permitted-use verdicts here are advisory only.
- —Spanish-language assistance is available at the Community Development counter.
Source Researched from state, county and municipal published guidance. Fees and requirements change and individual sites can trigger extra review — confirm every step with the issuing office before you sign a lease. This is planning guidance, not legal or professional advice.