Lot coverage in Scranton is regulated by the Scranton Zoning Ordinance (referenced in the City Code on eCode360 portal SC1148) and is set district-by-district in the bulk schedule of each zoning district. Higher-density R-3 and the Central Business District allow much higher building coverage than the lower-density R-1A and R-1 districts. Impervious-surface and stormwater impacts on larger projects are reviewed under the City's stormwater ordinance and PA DEP NPDES Phase II MS4 requirements (25 Pa. Code Chapter 102).
The Scranton Zoning Ordinance sets maximum building coverage and (where applicable) impervious coverage as part of the bulk schedule for each zoning district. The R-1A and R-1 districts - Scranton's lower-density single-family detached zones - have stricter coverage limits, while the R-3 Residential District and the Central Business District allow much higher building coverage consistent with the City's traditional rowhouse and downtown street wall. Stormwater controls for earth-disturbance projects are reviewed by the City under its locally adopted stormwater management ordinance (drafted under the PA Stormwater Management Act, Act 167, and the Lackawanna River Watershed Stormwater Management Plan) and PA DEP NPDES Phase II MS4 requirements at 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102 (Erosion and Sediment Control). Projects over one acre of earth disturbance require a separate PA DEP / Lackawanna County Conservation District NPDES permit. The City's Floodplain Overlay - significant along the Lackawanna River and Roaring Brook - adds further limits on impervious coverage and building footprint in mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas. Lot-coverage compliance is verified at building-permit application via plot plan and again at field inspection by LIPS.
Exceeding the lot-coverage maximum in the Scranton Zoning Ordinance is a zoning violation; LIPS will not issue a Certificate of Occupancy until the parcel is brought into compliance. The Zoning Office can issue notices of violation and refer cases to the Magisterial District Court for fines (typically up to $1,000 per violation plus costs in PA cities) under the MPC enforcement framework at 53 P.S. Β§10617.2. Failure to comply with the City's stormwater ordinance or the underlying 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102 erosion-control requirements is separately enforceable by the Lackawanna County Conservation District and PA DEP.
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See how Scranton's lot coverage limits rules stack up against other locations.
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