Scranton, PA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Fine range
- $150 to $300 plus costs
- Jail alternative
- up to 90 days if unpaid
- Cleanup duty
- violator must clear the entire area
- City cleanup
- lien placed on property if ignored
- Repeat violations
- each day/each property is separate offense
Summary
Scranton bars dumping or depositing litter on any open or vacant lot, occupied or not, under City Code § 305-5. Owners must also keep private premises free from litter at all times. Violators face a fine of $150 to $300 plus imprisonment up to 90 days, and the city can clean the lot itself and bill or lien the owner.
The owner or person in control of any private premises shall at all times maintain the premises free from litter. No person shall throw or deposit litter on any private premises or on any open or vacant lot or premises, whether or not owned or controlled by such person, except that such owner or person in control may maintain authorized private receptacles for deposit, collection or temporary storage of litter. ... Any person who violates any of the provisions of §§ 305- ... 5, 305-7 and 305-10 shall be subject to a fine of not less than one hundred fifty dollars ($150.) nor more than three hundred dollars ($300.), plus the costs of prosecution, or be subject to imprisonment not exceeding ninety (90) days if said fine and costs are not paid, for each offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4719898; v25 updated 2025-12-16; through 12-16-2025).
Full Breakdown
Section 305-5, Litter on private premises, applies to every private lot in the city, including 'any open or vacant lot or premises, whether or not owned or controlled' by the person doing the dumping, so a landowner cannot escape responsibility by arguing the lot sits empty or that a stranger left the debris. at all times,' and no one may throw or deposit litter on the lot in the first place, with an exception only for maintaining an authorized private receptacle for collecting or temporarily storing litter.
The same chapter, § 305-14(C), sets the penalty for a § 305-5 violation at not less than $150 nor more than $300 plus the costs of prosecution, or up to 90 days in jail if the fine and costs go unpaid, and it requires the violator to clean up the entire area regardless of the fine. If the owner ignores an order from the Department of Community Development to remove the garbage, debris or litter, the city can clean the vacant lot itself and place a lien on the property under state law to recover the cost, plus the city's attorney's fees for collection.
Each day the litter remains, and each separate property where it sits, counts as its own violation under § 305-14(D), so an uncleared vacant lot can rack up repeated penalties rather than a single flat fine.
Violations & Fines
A § 305-5 violation carries a fine of $150 to $300 plus costs of prosecution, or up to 90 days' imprisonment if unpaid, under § 305-14(C). The violator still has to clean up the site; if they don't, the city does the cleanup and bills the owner, with a lien available under state law, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense under § 305-14(D).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the litter law apply to a lot with no building on it?
What's the penalty for letting litter pile up on a vacant lot in Scranton?
What happens if I ignore a city cleanup order for my vacant lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scranton
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