Rental Property Rules in Scranton, PA (2026)
5 verified rental property rules for Scranton, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Rent Control
Scranton does not have a rent-control ordinance and Pennsylvania law does not authorize a home-rule city of the second class A like Scranton to enact one. Pennsylvania has no statewide rent-control enabling statute outside the Philadelphia-specific framework, and rent levels at Scranton apartments, duplexes, and multi-unit conversions are set by free agreement between landlord and tenant under the Pennsylvania Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 at 68 P.S. §250.101 et seq. The Scranton City Code at ecode360.com/SC1148 does not cap rent increases, does not require advance notice of rent increases beyond what the lease specifies, and does not require landlord registration of rent rolls.
Scranton PA Has No Rent Control; PA Bars Statewide Rent Regulation Outside Philadelphia
Few RestrictionsJust Cause Eviction
Scranton does not have a just-cause eviction ordinance, and Pennsylvania law does not require landlords to state a cause to terminate a residential tenancy. Under the Pennsylvania Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 at 68 P.S. §250.501, a landlord may terminate a month-to-month tenancy on 15 days' written notice and may decline to renew a fixed-term lease at its end without stating a reason. Cause-based grounds (non-payment, lease breach, illegal use) carry shorter notice periods. Evictions proceed in the Magisterial District Court that serves Scranton within Lackawanna County; the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas hears appeals.
Scranton PA Has No Just-Cause Eviction Ordinance; PA Landlord-Tenant Act Permits No-Fault Termination
Few RestrictionsRental Registration
Scranton operates a mandatory Residential Rental Registration Program codified in the Scranton City Code at ecode360.com/SC1148 and administered by the Department of Licensing, Inspections, and Permits (LIP). Every residential rental property in the city must be registered with the City, the owner must designate a local agent for service of process if the owner does not reside in or near Lackawanna County, and rental units are subject to periodic inspection under the City's property-maintenance framework, which adopts the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) as the substantive habitability standard. Operating an unregistered rental is enforceable through code-enforcement citations and, under PA Act 90 of 2010, through Scranton's Quality of Life Ticketing Program.
Scranton PA Rental Registration Program: Mandatory Landlord Registration Under Scranton City Code
Heavy RestrictionsRental Inspection Programs
Scranton's Residential Rental Registration Program, codified in the Scranton City Code at ecode360.com/SC1148, authorizes the Department of Licensing, Inspections, and Permits (LIP) to conduct periodic interior and exterior inspections of every registered residential rental in the city. The substantive standard is the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), adopted by reference in the Scranton City Code. Where the owner or tenant withholds consent, Pennsylvania law authorizes the City to obtain an administrative warrant from a Magisterial District Judge before entry. Violations documented at inspection are issued as notices of violation with a stated correction deadline; non-compliance leads to citation under the general-penalty schedule and under Scranton's Quality of Life Ticketing Program (PA Act 90 of 2010).
Scranton Residential Rental Inspections by Licensing, Inspections, and Permits; IPMC Substantive Standard
Heavy RestrictionsSecurity Deposit Rules
Scranton has not codified a separate local security-deposit ordinance; deposits are governed by the Pennsylvania Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 at 68 P.S. §250.511a et seq. The statute caps the deposit at two months' rent during the first year of the tenancy and at one month's rent during the second and subsequent years. Deposits over $100 held for more than two years must be placed in an escrow account at a federally or state-regulated banking institution, and the tenant must be given written notice of the institution's name and address. The landlord must return the deposit (less itemized deductions) within 30 days of the tenant's vacating; failure to do so exposes the landlord to a doubled-deposit penalty plus attorney fees under 68 P.S. §250.512.