Scranton licenses people, not companies — and the licence has to be approved before a permit application will even be accepted, which puts the credential weeks ahead of the drawings.
The city keeps licensing, permitting and enforcement in-house while contracting residential and commercial plan review to a certified third-party agency. That split is exactly what the statewide framework contemplates, and it means the review timetable and the licensing timetable are running against different offices.
Scope: the City of Scranton in Lackawanna County. Surrounding boroughs and townships permit separately, several through their own third-party agencies.
The city will not license a company — only individual persons. An application is for an individual who wishes to be a licensed contractor; there is no route to licensing an entire business entity. Initial and one-time applications must be submitted and approved before any work governed by the code is performed or any permit is applied for.
What requires a building permit in Scranton?
Pennsylvania builds on a single statewide code — the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) — adopted under the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act (Act 45 of 1999) and maintained by the Department of Labor and Industry with its Uniform Construction Code Review and Advisory Council. The UCC adopts the International Code Council model codes; the 2021 ICC series took effect as the UCC on January 1, 2026, and permit applications on or after July 1, 2026 must comply with it. More than nine in ten of Pennsylvania’s municipalities administer and enforce the UCC locally — through their own code officials or a certified third-party agency — so the first question in Scranton is who enforces the code for the parcel and how they take a submission.
Permit required
- New commercial, multi-family and residential construction, additions and change of occupancy
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Electrical work — services, panels, circuits, solar and EV charging — under the UCC and the referenced National Electrical Code
- Plumbing and gas work under the UCC, pulled by a locally licensed trade where the municipality requires one
- Mechanical and HVAC change-outs, and work affecting the energy code envelope
- Re-roofing above the exempt scope, pools, signs, and demolition
Often exempt
- Minor repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the code threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Like-for-like fixture or appliance swaps with no alteration to wiring or piping
Local amendments, fee schedules and the choice of third-party agency differ from one municipality to the next, so an exempt list from a neighbouring township is not reliable. An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, the energy code, or an electrical or plumbing permit. Confirm scope with the Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits before work starts.
The statewide layers that apply everywhere
Two Pennsylvania features catch projects owners assume are simple. First, enforcement is a local choice: a minority of municipalities have opted out of local enforcement, in which case the Department of Labor and Industry enforces the commercial code and residential construction is not locally enforced — though zoning and other permits still apply. Second, the 2021 accessibility provisions of the International Codes remain enjoined statewide, so the 2018 accessibility standards still apply. Floodplain administration applies along the state’s rivers, and snow loading is a live structural constraint. Scranton contracts its plan review to a certified third-party agency while keeping licensing and enforcement in-house, which is the clearest example in this batch of the split enforcement route the statewide framework allows.
Who handles permitting in Scranton?
Licensing, permitting and enforcement sit with the city at City Hall on North Washington Avenue. Residential and commercial plan review is carried out by the city’s contracted certified third-party agency rather than by city staff.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | City of Scranton Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits |
| Address | City Hall, 340 North Washington Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503 |
| Telephone | 570-348-4100 |
| Plan review | Carried out by the city’s contracted certified third-party agency |
| Licence classes | Master and specialty, home improvement, non-master; several require testing |
| Licence timing | Approved before any permit application; renewal by the thirty-first of March |
| Who may pull a permit | Licensed contractors, or owner-occupants who live at the property |
| Contractor credential | City contractor licence held by an individual, plus state home improvement registration |
The licensing regime is unusually documented. Master and specialty contractors, home improvement contractors and non-master contractors each have their own application class, and several classes require testing. Initial applications must be approved before any permit application; renewals are due before the first permit of the calendar year or by the thirty-first of March, whichever comes first, with a late fee after that. Master electrical contractors renew against continuing education units acceptable to the state. Permits themselves issue only to licensed contractors or to owner-occupants who actually live at the property, and a licensed contractor must submit a complete executed copy of the contract and the insurance for the proposed work before the permit is released.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential work in Scranton runs through an older housing stock across steep terrain, and the permitting rule is unusually strict on who may file: a homeowner may pull a permit only where they are doing the work themselves and live at the property. If a contractor is doing the work, the contractor pulls the permit, and that contractor must hold the city licence in their own name.
How Pennsylvania contractor credentials work
Pennsylvania does not license general contractors at state level — there is no state contractor licence, exam or board. Instead, under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA), any contractor performing five thousand dollars or more of residential home improvement in a year must register with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Registration is administrative, not a skills licence, and by itself it does not grant permit-pulling authority.
In Pennsylvania the state registers home improvement contractors; the municipality licenses the trades. HICPA registration with the Attorney General is required for residential work, but electrical, plumbing and HVAC licensing is a local matter and several cities and counties — Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Allentown, Erie, Reading and Scranton among them — add their own contractor licences. Confirm what the Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits requires for the parcel, along with insurance coverage.
Commercial permits
Commercial work is reviewed against the 2021 editions by the city’s contracted third-party agency, with accessibility on the 2018 standards. Specialty classes cover fire protection systems and extinguishing systems, each with its own licence class. The executed contract and insurance certificate requirement applies here as it does on residential work, and applications are held until both are supplied.
Licenses, trade classifications and design professionals
Practically, three credential layers appear on Pennsylvania projects: HICPA registration with the Attorney General on residential home improvement; separately licensed electrical, plumbing and HVAC trades, licensed by the municipality rather than the state; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings sealed by a Pennsylvania-licensed architect or professional engineer. Confirm what the Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits requires for the specific building before filing.
Scranton permit costs and fees
Scranton sets its own fee schedule and collects the state Uniform Construction Code surcharge with the permit. Contractor licensing carries its own fee by class, with a late charge on renewals after the thirty-first of March, so the licensing cost sits alongside the permit cost rather than inside it.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Based on project valuation or square footage; set by the municipality or its third-party agency |
| Plan review | A percentage of the permit fee or a flat charge, at submittal or by the third-party agency |
| Trade permits | Separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical fees under the local schedule |
| UCC state surcharge | The Uniform Construction Code education and administration fee, collected with the permit |
| Zoning and use | Zoning, use-and-occupancy and, in some places, contractor-licence fees |
| Re-inspections and revisions | Additional fees for failed inspections, revisions and expired permits |
Pennsylvania fees are substantially local: the municipality or its certified third-party agency sets the building-permit and plan-review charge, and the state adds only a modest Uniform Construction Code surcharge collected with the permit. Where a municipality uses a third-party agency, that agency’s fee schedule applies. A figure from a neighbouring municipality is not reliable — ask the Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits for the schedule in force on your filing date.
Need a real number for a specific Scranton project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the authority having jurisdiction, the code edition in force and the fee categories that will apply.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade permits are separate from the building permit and, on projects that require one, generally cannot be issued until the building permit is in place. Each trade follows its book within the Uniform Construction Code, and is tied to a contractor holding whatever trade licence the municipality issues — which is not portable across municipal lines.
Pennsylvania runs the trades on local licences. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC credentials are issued by municipalities and, in some cases, counties rather than the state, so a licence recognised in one jurisdiction may carry no weight in the next and the permit may have to be pulled by a differently licensed contractor. Confirm both the permit and the licence with the authority that issues it.
- Electrical work follows the UCC and the referenced National Electrical Code, under a locally licensed electrician where required.
- Plumbing work follows the UCC plumbing provisions, under a locally licensed plumber where required.
- Mechanical work follows the UCC mechanical and energy provisions.
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work on commercial and multi-family structures
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
How to apply for a Scranton building permit
Initial and one-time applications must be submitted and approved before performing work governed by the code or applying for any permit. Several licence classes require testing, so this is the long pole.
The city licenses individual persons, not companies. Work out which individual will hold the credential and file in that name.
Renewals are due before the first permit of the calendar year or by the thirty-first of March, whichever comes first, with a late fee after that date.
A licensed contractor applying for a permit must submit a complete executed copy of the contract and the insurance for the proposed work before the permit is issued.
Submit the building permit application together with the trade subcode forms that apply to the project. Plan review then goes to the contracted third-party agency.
Post the permit on site, schedule inspections through the sequence, and obtain the certificate of occupancy where the work requires one.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
In Pennsylvania, the first cause of delay is uncertainty over who enforces the code — filing with the municipality when it uses a certified third-party agency, or assuming a permit is required in a municipality that has opted out of residential enforcement. After that come a missing HICPA registration or local trade licence, energy-code and plan documentation, and, along the state’s rivers, floodplain requirements that were not addressed up front. Build the plan-review time into the schedule and confirm the checklist with the Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits before filing.
Approvals do not stay live indefinitely. A Pennsylvania building permit carries a validity period and can expire if work does not start or stalls between inspections. On phased or financed work, keep the permit active with periodic progress inspections and confirm the expiry window before it passes.
Inspections in Scranton
Where a permit is required, standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy-code compliance, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a use-and-occupancy certificate before the building is used. Scranton keeps inspection and enforcement in-house even though plan review is contracted out, so the office that reviewed the drawings is not the office that will visit the site.
Pennsylvania inspections are keyed to the code edition in force when the permit issued, and are carried out by a certified code official — the municipality’s own inspector, its certified third-party agency, or the city department in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Keep the approved plans and the energy-code documentation on site for the inspector to check against, and confirm the notice the Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits needs and its inspection windows.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permit, the approved plans, product listings, energy-code documentation and your correction responses available on site.
Scranton permit search and official resources
Permit records in Pennsylvania sit with the authority that issued them — the municipality or its certified third-party agency, or the city department in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Where the Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits is the authority for the City of Scranton, it holds the building permit, the inspection history and the use-and-occupancy certificate. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, confirm that past work was permitted rather than assuming it was — open permits and missing certificates are a common closing problem.
Confirm the authority having jurisdiction first. Pennsylvania enforces one statewide Uniform Construction Code, but each municipality administers it with its own amendments, fee schedule and enforcement route — local staff, a third-party agency, or opt-out — so the requirements that apply vary by parcel. Confirm current requirements, fees and review turnaround for your filing date.
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- Construction permits — City of Scranton
- Licensing, Inspections and Permits
- Chapter 203 — contractors, permits and inspections
- Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code — Labor and Industry
- Home improvement contractor registration — Attorney General
Frequently asked questions
Can I license my construction company in Scranton?
No. The city is explicit that it will not license an entire company — only individual persons. The application is for an individual who wishes to be a licensed contractor, so decide which person will hold the credential.
Can I apply for a permit while my licence application is pending?
No. Initial and one-time applications must be submitted and approved before performing any work governed by the code or applying for any permit. Several licence classes also require testing, which extends the lead time.
When do licences renew?
Before you are approved for a permit that calendar year, or by the thirty-first of March, whichever comes first. A late fee is added to any renewal received after the thirty-first of March.
Who reviews my plans?
Not city staff. Scranton contracts residential and commercial plan review to a certified third-party agency, which is one of the enforcement routes the statewide framework allows. Inspection and enforcement stay with the city.
Can I pull my own permit as a homeowner?
Only if you live at the property and are doing the work yourself. If a contractor is doing the work, the contractor must pull the permit, and permits issue to licensed contractors or resident owner-occupants.
What do I have to submit with the permit application?
Beyond the application and any trade subcode forms, a licensed contractor must supply a complete executed copy of the contract and the insurance for the proposed work before the permit is issued. Registration is administrative rather than a skills licence: there is no examination, the fee is one hundred dollars every two years, and new-home construction falls outside it. The online registration system returned to service in May 2026 after an outage, and the grace period that followed it closed on the eighth of June 2026, so a current registration number is the expectation now.
Simplify Scranton permitting with Alliance Permitting
Scranton is a licensing jurisdiction first and a code jurisdiction second, and the licensing calendar runs well ahead of the construction one.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 22 years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Scranton because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We start the licence application first, because in Scranton no permit application is accepted before it is approved.
- We file the licence in the name of an individual, since the city does not license companies.
- We watch the thirty-first of March renewal deadline, which precedes the first permit of the year.
- We assemble the executed contract and insurance certificate with the application rather than after it.
- We track the third-party plan review and the city inspection track as two separate timetables.
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Pennsylvania. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.
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More Pennsylvania permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Scranton permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.