Scranton, PA Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Scranton operates under a Home Rule Charter adopted pursuant to the Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law (PA Act 62 of 1972, 53 Pa.C.S. §2901 et seq.), which gives the city broader regulatory authority than a typical Third-Class City. The municipal code is hosted on eCode360 (ecode360.com/SC1148). Scranton has not enacted a dedicated short-term rental chapter, so Airbnb, VRBO, and similar listings fall under overlapping local frameworks. First, owners of residential rental property in Scranton must register through the city's rental registration and inspection program administered by the Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits (DLIP), and renting for compensation requires a Mercantile/Business Privilege License from the Single Tax Office. Second, Scranton's Zoning Ordinance treats transient lodging as a use that is permitted only in specific districts; pure single-family residential districts generally do not allow tourist or transient occupancy without a special-exception or conditional-use approval from the Zoning Hearing Board. Pennsylvania has not preempted local STR regulation, and the PA Supreme Court held in Slice of Life v. Hamilton Twp. ZHB, 207 A.3d 886 (Pa. 2019) that short-term rentals are NOT a 'single-family residential' use unless local code expressly says so. Practical takeaway: hosts must register the rental, hold a Mercantile/Business Privilege License, verify zoning, and collect the Lackawanna County 7% hotel tax plus the Pennsylvania 6% state hotel occupancy tax under 72 P.S. §7210.