Scranton, PA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Scranton is a Home Rule city with a traditional urban fabric of dense rowhouse and detached-dwelling neighborhoods. The Scranton Zoning Ordinance establishes the bulk schedule of minimum lot area, lot width, front yard, side yard, rear yard, lot coverage and maximum height for each zoning district, with principal residential districts ranging from R-1A (lowest density) through R-3 (highest density), plus the Central Business District, neighborhood commercial, mixed-use and industrial districts. Front-yard setbacks in established neighborhoods are often subject to a contextual averaging rule that allows a new building to align with the average setback of adjoining existing buildings on the same block. Accessory buildings (sheds, detached garages) must generally be in the side or rear yard of the principal building and meet minimum offsets from any dwelling and from the side and rear property lines. Setback variances require an application to the Scranton Zoning Hearing Board under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (53 P.S. §10101 et seq., the MPC), specifically §910.2 dimensional-variance authority, which requires the applicant to prove unnecessary hardship unique to the property, that the variance is the minimum necessary, and that it will not adversely affect the public good or neighborhood character.