3 published records
Business licenses and permits in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, with its seat in the City of Scranton (population 215,896 at the 2020 Census), is made up of 40 municipalities in the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 county-subdivision file: the cities of Carbondale and Scranton; the boroughs of Archbald, Blakely, Clarks Green, Clarks Summit, Dalton, Dickson City, Dunmore, Jermyn, Jessup, Mayfield, Moosic, Moscow, Old Forge, Olyphant, Taylor, Throop and Vandling; and the townships of Benton, Carbondale, Clifton, Covington, Elmhurst, Fell, Glenburn, Greenfield, Jefferson, La Plume, Madison, Newton, North Abington, Ransom, Roaring Brook, Scott, South Abington, Spring Brook, Thornhurst, Waverly and West Abington. Each municipality runs its own permits, ordinances and local taxes, and those stack on top of the county records below. The Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission's plan submission procedure states that 'All forty (40) of our municipalities administer their own subdivision and land development regulations, and they are the final approving authority'; the commission reviews and comments on plans as an advisory body under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. At county level, the Parks and Recreation Department awards concessionaire licenses for food sales in county parks and on other county property under Ordinance #216 of 2012, and the Lackawanna County Conservation District reviews erosion and sediment control plans under its delegation from the PA Department of Environmental Protection.
What are you opening in Lackawanna County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Lackawanna County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Review (Lackawanna County Conservation District)only if it applies to you | Lackawanna County Conservation District | District review fee per the Lackawanna County Conservation District schedule effective March 1, 2023 (§108, residential/industrial/commercial/other, by area of earth disturbance): single lot residential under 1 acre $120.00; less than 0.33 acre $120.00; 0.34 to 0.99 acre $1,000.00; 1 to 4.99 acres $1,500.00; 5 to 9.99 acres $2,000.00; 10 to 14.99 acres $2,500.00; 15 to 20 acres $3,500.00; over 20 acres $4,000.00 plus $100.00 per additional acre of disturbance (rounded to the nearest whole number). The fee covers the initial review and one revision; further reviews are 35% of the original fee. NPDES renewal E&S fee: 20% if the plan is not significantly changed, 35% for revisions that alter BMPs. Returned-check charge $25.00. Checks payable to "LACKAWANNA COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT". State-set NPDES fees, charged in addition for projects that need an NPDES permit (25 Pa. Code §102.6(b)(1)): $500 administrative filing fee for general permits or $1,500 for individual permits, plus $100 for each disturbed acre for projects of 1 acre or greater of disturbance (fractional acreage rounded to the closest whole number). | per project; a letter of adequacy is valid for two years | 2026-10-21 |
| County Planning Review of Subdivision and Land Development Plans (MPC §502)only if it applies to you | Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission | Per the LCRPC Fee Schedule effective October 9, 2025: lot line revision or lot consolidation $75.00 flat; minor subdivision (five lots or less, no road construction) $100.00 flat; major subdivision $100.00 plus $15.00 per lot (minimum $130.00, maximum $1,000.00); two single-family residential dwellings on an existing lot $75.00 flat; multi-family residential (three or more units) $100.00 plus $15.00 per unit (minimum $145.00, maximum $1,000.00); non-residential structures of 1 to 150,000 sq ft $100.00 plus $5.00 per 1,000 sq ft (maximum $850.00 per structure); non-residential structures over 150,000 sq ft $100.00 plus $7.50 per 1,000 sq ft (maximum $1,200.00 per structure); energy facilities with no buildings $500.00 for the first 10 acres of disturbed area plus $15.00 per additional acre, rounded to the nearest whole number (maximum $1,200.00); government and community facilities, schools and non-profit organizations no fee. Revised plans: no additional fee for lot line, minor subdivision and two-dwelling plans; for the other categories the first revision is free and each later revision is $100.00 flat. Checks payable to "Lackawanna County Treasurer." | per plan submission; the county has 30 days to review and comment | 2026-10-21 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Lackawanna County?
Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Review (Lackawanna County Conservation District)
The Lackawanna County Conservation District's Erosion & Sedimentation page states that 'The Lackawanna County Conservation District's delegation agreement with the DEP requires reviews of E&S plans, inspections of earth-moving sites, investigation of complaints, and administration of the NPDES permitting program', and that DEP 'requires a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for earthmoving activities which disturb one acre or more during the life of a project.' The district's review fees are set by its Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Review Fee Schedule, amended by the district Board of Directors on January 26, 2023 and effective March 1, 2023; the schedule says it 'shall remain in effect until modified, amended or rescinded'. Under §106F, 'This plan review fee will be in addition to any other required state fees such as NPDES, etc.' Those state fees are set by 25 Pa. Code §102.6(b)(1) and are state-set, not district or county figures. Per the schedule, a letter of adequacy is valid for two years and the maximum review time is 30 working days. Under §104, fees are waived for applications by federal, state or Lackawanna County government and for agricultural operations under a soil conservation plan, and for disturbance under 5,000 square feet or minor revisions the District Manager, in consultation with the Board, may waive or reduce fees case by case. A business that builds or otherwise disturbs earth in the county pays this fee when its plan goes to the district for review. Contact the district at 570-382-3086.
County Planning Review of Subdivision and Land Development Plans (MPC §502)
Under §502(b) of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, a subdivision or land development application in a municipality with its own subdivision and land development ordinance is forwarded to the county planning agency 'for review and report together with a fee sufficient to cover the costs of the review and report which fee shall be paid by the applicant', and the municipality may not approve it until the county report is received or 30 days have passed. The Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission's Subdivision & Land Development Plan Submission Process states that the county planning agency 'has 30 days to review and comment', that 'We are an advisory body to the local municipalities', and that all forty municipalities 'administer their own subdivision and land development regulations, and they are the final approving authority.' It says 'There is no application form for county review'; one copy of the plan and all supporting documents goes in at least ten days before the monthly board meeting (held the 2nd Thursday of every month except July and August), and 'A review fee must accompany the plans or the submission will not be considered complete'. Per the same document, plans in Benton, Greenfield, Mayfield, Ransom, Roaring Brook and Madison must be submitted by the municipality. The amounts come from the commission's fee schedule marked 'EFFECTIVE: October 9, 2025', as published on the county's current website. A business that subdivides land or builds a land development pays this review fee in addition to the municipality's own fees.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Lackawanna County Conservation District Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Review Fee Schedule and Application Form (Amended by the Conservation District Board of Directors on 1/26/23)Lackawanna County Conservation District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
- E&S Plan Reviews — New Fee ScheduleLackawanna County Conservation District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
- Erosion & SedimentationLackawanna County Conservation District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
- 25 Pa. Code § 102.6. Permit applications and feesPennsylvania Code & Bulletin · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Conservation DistrictLackawanna County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
- Conservation District seeks to restore landLackawanna County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
- LCRPC Fee Schedule (Plan Reviews), Effective October 9, 2025Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
- Subdivision & Land Development Plan Submission ProcessLackawanna County Regional Planning Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
- Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act of July 31, 1968, P.L. 805, No. 247Pennsylvania General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-16
- PlanningLackawanna County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
- Land Use Planning, GIS Mapping, Subdivision & Land DevelopmentLackawanna County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
Who issues business permits in Lackawanna County?
Permitting in Lackawanna County is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Lackawanna County issuing agencies
- Lackawanna County Conservation DistrictReviews erosion and sediment control plans, inspects earth-moving sites and investigates complaints under its delegation agreement with the PA Department of Environmental Protection · Administers the NPDES permitting program for construction stormwater under the same delegation1 permit
- Lackawanna County Parks and Recreation DepartmentAdministers the bid proposal and application review for concessionaire licenses in county parks, recreation areas and other county property under Ordinance #216 of 2012 · Issues one-day temporary licenses to non-profit organizations for fund-raising in county parks (Ordinance #216 §III)1 permit
- Lackawanna County Regional Planning CommissionReviews and comments on subdivision and land development plans for the county's 40 municipalities as an advisory body under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code §502 · Reviews local land-use regulations1 permit
Other Pennsylvania jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.