Photo: BigCheddah · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Reading, PA: what to set up and who to call
Reading Area Water Authority reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Apr 2025. The closest public drop-off to Reading is Sinking Spring Yard Waste Dump Site, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Reading, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Reading.
Power comes from Met-Ed
Met-Ed (Metropolitan Edison Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves 98.1% of Reading residents.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Reading Area Water Authority
Reading Area Water Authority supplies almost all of Reading. It draws surface water and serves 95,100 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Apr 2025. 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jun–Sep 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. PA3060059.
5 home internet providers serve Reading
100% of 24,331 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 40% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 43% | 300/20 |
| FastBridge Fiber | Fiber | 42% | 10,000/10,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 43% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 29% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Reading depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Reading, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on readingpa.gov
- Bulky itemsEvery week
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
- Paper & cardboard
- Plastic containers
- Glass bottles and jars
- Metal cans
- Food and beverage cartons
From readingpa.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Reading is in Reading School District.
D−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Reading spans 7 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Reading residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Reading | ZIP’s residents in Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19601 | Reading, PA | 36% | 97% |
| 19604 | Reading, PA | 29% | 95% |
| 19602 | Reading, PA | 21% | 100% |
| 19611 | Reading, PA | 7% | 59% |
| 19606 | Reading, PA | 3% | 8% |
| 19607 | Reading, PA | 2% | 10% |
| 19605 | Reading, PA | 1% | 6% |
A few homes fall in 19610. 19603, 19612 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Reading
Who supplies Reading’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Reading Area Water Authority (EPA ID PA3060059). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule). 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jun–Sep 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Reading?
Met-Ed (Metropolitan Edison Co.), an investor-owned utility.
What internet providers serve Reading?
Xfinity, Verizon, FastBridge Fiber, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Reading?
19601 (36%), 19604 (29%), 19602 (21%), 19611 (7%), 19606 (3%), 19607 (2%), 19605 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Reading in?
Reading School District.
How do I register to vote in Reading?
In Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Berks County Board of Elections. Check your registration at pavoterservices.pa.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Reading’s own website (readingpa.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.