Scranton, PA Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

City Code Chapter 373, the Rental Act, requires a landlord to apply for and obtain a rental license for each residential rental unit in every calendar year the unit is occupied for any part of that year (§ 373-6A(1)). A landlord may not furnish or allow occupancy without a license, and rent cannot be collected during any period of noncompliance (§ 373-6A(2)). Renewal applications for existing units are due by March 15 each year; a landlord bringing a new unit into service must apply within 30 days of the start of the tenancy (§ 373-6B).

Applications go to the Bureau of Code Enforcement and must include the landlord's contact information, the property address, a listing of all rental units on the property, and the name and contact information of a designated rental contact reachable 24/7 (§ 373-6C, D). Fees are assessed per building based on unit count: $45 per unit for one to three units, $150 flat for four to nine, $250 flat for ten to nineteen, $350 flat for twenty to forty-nine, and $450 flat for fifty or more (§ 373-6E).

No license may issue while any fines, fees, or unresolved code violations remain outstanding (§ 373-6F). Landlords must give tenants a copy of the current license before the tenancy begins, or within 10 days of receiving it if issued later (§ 373-6G), and must report changes to the license information within 10 days (§ 373-6H). Residential units occupied by the owner's immediate family, with no more than two unrelated additional occupants, are exempt from the license fee and initial inspection fee (§ 373-6I).