Scranton, PA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

The Committee was originally adopted by Ord. No. 101-1989 and was amended in its entirety on 7-22-2025 by Ord. No. 86-2025, so this is a recently rewritten local process, not a dormant 1980s rule. § 1701 et seq. Membership under § 18-33 is fixed at five seats: the President of City Council or a Council designee, the Chair of the Scranton Redevelopment Authority or a designee, the Chair of the City Planning Commission or a designee, the Mayor or an executive-branch designee, and the City Planner.

The Committee acts only on request from the Scranton Redevelopment Authority, under § 18-34: it reviews the specific property alleged to be blighted, determines whether it meets the Urban Redevelopment Law's definition of a blighted property, and, if so, certifies it to the Authority for whatever redevelopment action the state law permits. Certification is barred outright wherever the Urban Redevelopment Law itself prohibits it (§ 18-35B). Owners are not without process: § 18-36 requires notice served in accord with Chapter 360, Article I, the Property Maintenance Code, and gives the owner or agent the right of appeal in the same manner as an appeal under that same Article.

Chapter 360's own procedure routes appeals to the Housing Board of Appeals under the timelines and fees set in § 203-15B, with a shorter 20-day window for demolition orders. The Committee may adopt its own bylaws and rules to govern its internal procedures under § 18-36D.