Administrative overview · FIPS 42069
Lackawanna County permit authority
The first compliance decision is jurisdictional: identify the office with statutory authority over your parcel, then use its filing and inspection sequence to keep the project moving.
Jurisdictional status
Municipal Fallback
This profile identifies a handoff outside the county’s ordinary structural permitting lane.
Required jurisdiction check
Confirm the controlling local or state authority before filing.
The record is marked Municipal Fallback. That means the county profile should be treated as a routing brief: incorporated municipalities, a state building department, or a state fire marshal may control plan review, permits, and inspections. Contact the named agency below and verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before paying a fee or scheduling field work.
Responsible agency
Lackawanna County Department of Planning and Economic Development and Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission; municipalities and their Council of Governments/private code agencies handle UCC building permits and enforcement
For a project in or near Lackawanna County, this office is the identified point of contact for permit intake, statutory code enforcement, plan review coordination, and inspection release conditions. Confirm the parcel’s boundary and project type before relying on the county lane.
Direct contact
Lackawanna County Planning and Economic Development: 570-963-6830; local municipal/COG code agency varies
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Lackawanna County Department of Planning and Economic Development, 123 Wyoming Avenue, 5th Floor, Scranton, PA 18503
Operating hours
N/A on the official county planning listing; municipal/code-agency hours vary
Review expectation
N/A countywide; Pennsylvania UCC generally requires a code official to grant or deny a complete permit application within 30 business days, while the county planning agency has 30 days to review and comment on plans and local timing varies.
Compliance workbench
Choose the next project decision.
Apply online
Open the verified digital gateway, application form, and review timeline.
Open guide →Fees & penalties
Understand fee schedules, enforcement exposure, and stop-work liabilities.
Open guide →Codes & exemptions
Read the code framework, minor-work exemptions, and inspection lane.
Open guide →Agency website
Visit the primary public source for current notices and contact changes.
Open guide →Source trail
Official sources for this profile
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Frequently asked questions for Lackawanna County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
This record is marked Municipal Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.
How should I begin an application?
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact Lackawanna County Planning and Economic Development: 570-963-6830; local municipal/COG code agency varies.
How long might review take?
N/A countywide; Pennsylvania UCC generally requires a code official to grant or deny a complete permit application within 30 business days, while the county planning agency has 30 days to review and comment on plans and local timing varies.
How are inspections scheduled?
Contact the municipality where the work is located to identify its UCC Building Code Official or private/COG code agency, submit the UCC application and plans, and schedule inspections. Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission reviews and comments on subdivision/land-development plans within 30 days; the official county procedure lists 123 Wyoming Avenue, Floor 5, Scranton, PA 18503 for plan submissions and 570-963-6830 for county planning contact.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC), 34 Pa. Code Chapters 401-405 and referenced current ICC codes as adopted by Pennsylvania, including applicable 2021 ICC editions for 2026 permits. Lackawanna County's official hazard-plan material states the county has no building code; local municipalities handle the UCC, often through a Council of Governments or private code-enforcement agency. All 40 municipalities administer their own subdivision and land-development regulations, with county review advisory to the local approving authority. Exemptions are controlled by Pennsylvania UCC and the responsible municipality or code agency. Emergency repairs or equipment replacements may proceed without a permit only when the application is submitted to the BCO within three business days. Minor repairs, accessory structures, agricultural work, zoning, floodplain, sewage, driveway, and occupancy requirements vary locally and must be confirmed with the municipality.