PREFACE

This is a compilation of the ordinances of the City of Reading, which 
includes currently operative ordinances, compiled with all amendments through and 
including Ordinance No. 73, adopted July 10, 1990.

The chronological listing of all ordinances, including title and location 
within the compilation, reflects all ordinances adopted, amended or repealed, thus 
providing a valuable record of the municipality's ordinance history. Ordinances 
which are printed in their entirety are classified by subject matter and assigned 
to one of eleven basic categories. Each of these categories is indicated by a tab. 
Every ordinance is introduced with a part number, a title concerning the content, 
the ordinance number, and the adoption date.

Section headings in boldface type have been provided, if not supplied in 
the original copy, to facilitate usage. Sections that are subsequently amended are 
followed by a history note indicating the adoption date of the amendment. Cross 
reference notations are included to provide quick referral to other ordinances 
and/or sections dealing with similar subjects.

Running heads at the top of the page contain an abbreviated title, the 
ordinance number and section numbers to provide a guide for locating specific 
information quickly. The section number appearing in the running head on the 
left-hand page cites the section material beginning the page; the number on the 
right-
hand page cites the section material concluding the page.

The exact wording of the ordinances has been preserved. Since ordinances 
are legal documents, editorial changes in a compilation are minor, limited 
primarily to correction of obvious typographical errors and resolving, upon 
specific instructions from the municipality, any duplications and inconsistencies 
brought to their attention during the preparation of the proof copy of the 
compilation. Any additions to text by the editor appear in brackets.


Numbering system

Each ordinance is assigned a part number. The part number is used to 
identify the ordinance primarily for indexing and cross reference purposes. Each 
succeeding article and/or section deriving from that ordinance will have the same 
number on the left-hand side of the decimal point. For example, section number 
12.004 refers to section 4 of the ordinance assigned to part 12. Part numbers allow 
for expansion within each of the categories and within the compilation as a whole.


Index

The alphabetical index permits easy location of ordinances by subject. Main 
entries are in all uppercase letters. Under the entry for each ordinance, the 
catchlines of all sections appear in lowercase, indented and alphabetized. Cross 
references and additional entries are provided where necessary to direct the user 
to a particular topic. In preparing the index the proper balance has been achieved 
between creating an index comprehensive enough to be useful and yet not so detailed 
that it requires extensive revision each time an ordinance is enacted, repealed, or 
amended.


Looseleaf supplements

Since an ordinance compilation, unlike a bound book, is constantly in a 
state of evolution, a special feature of this compilation is the looseleaf system 
of binding. With this system, the compilation can easily be kept up-to-date by 
submitting copies of new ordinances or amendments as they are enacted. These will 
then be incorporated by the editor into the compilation, and the appropriate pages 
will be revised or created for distribution to the holders of copies, with specific 
instructions for the manner of removing obsolete pages and inserting the current 
ones. Through regular supplementation, the compilation will continue to remain 
current and useful.