Scranton, PA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Rainwater harvesting gets exactly one mention in Scranton's code, tucked into the list of permitted yard-area encroachments at § 445-17B. Item twenty-two covers it directly: 'Functional rain barrels holding less than 65 gallons that are connected to a roof downspout system of a building or structure' are allowed inside a required yard setback the same way a bird feeder, sidewalk, or flagpole is. That means a homeowner can place a compliant rain barrel against a wall inside a front, side, or rear setback without applying for a variance from the Zoning Hearing Board.

The exemption has two hard conditions built into its own text: the barrel has to stay under 65 gallons, and it has to connect to a roof downspout system, meaning a freestanding cistern that isn't plumbed to a downspout doesn't qualify. A barrel that trips either condition, whether by exceeding 65 gallons or standing disconnected from the gutter system, drops out of the automatic exemption and instead has to be treated like any other accessory structure, subject to the setback and lot-coverage limits that apply generally in the underlying zoning district. Scranton's broader stormwater rules at § 445-18 otherwise point back to the Commonwealth's stormwater management requirements rather than setting a local numeric standard, which is what makes this rain-barrel line the City's only rainwater-specific provision.