Title and authority. An ordinance establishing regulations and restrictions for the location and use of lots, land, buildings, and other structures; the height, number of stories, and size and bulk of buildings and structures; the density of population; off-street parking; and similar accessory regulations in the City of Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, and for said purposes dividing the City of Scranton into districts and establishing the boundaries thereof, prescribing certain uniform regulations for each such district, and providing for administrative enforcement and amendment of its provisions in accordance with the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq., as amended.

Short title. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "The City of Scranton Zoning Ordinance."

To promote, protect, and facilitate the following: the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare; coordinated and practical community development; proper density of population; travel and transportation facilities, civil defense, and disaster evacuation; and the provision of adequate light and air, vehicle parking and loading space, water and sewage, schools, public grounds and other public requirements, and fire and police protection;

To prevent occurrence of the following: overcrowding; blight; danger and congestion in travel and transportation; and loss of health, life, or property from fire, flood, panic, or other dangers; and

To serve as a part of the overall plan for the orderly growth and development of the City of Scranton, and as such, supplement the Scranton-Abingtons Planning Association Comprehensive Plan, adopted November 21, 2014, as the Comprehensive Plan of the City of Scranton.

The provisions of this chapter shall be deemed to be the minimum requirements to meet the purposes and objectives stated herein, adopted for the promotion of the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the City of Scranton. When the provisions of this chapter impose greater restrictions than those of any federal or state statute, rule, regulation, or ordinance, the provisions of this chapter shall prevail. Where the provisions of any federal or state statute, rule, regulation, or ordinance impose greater restrictions than those of this chapter, the provision of such federal or state statute, rule, regulation, or ordinance shall prevail.

In interpreting the language of this chapter to determine the extent of the restriction upon the use of property, the language shall be interpreted, where doubt exists as to its intended meaning, in favor of the property owner and against any implied extension of the restriction.

No building, structure, or lot shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no building, structure, or part thereof shall hereafter be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved, altered, or expanded horizontally or vertically, except in conformity with all regulations and provisions contained herein, unless relief is granted by the City of Scranton Zoning Hearing Board through a special exception or variance.

The provisions of this chapter are hereby declared to be severable. If a court of competent jurisdiction declares any regulations or provisions of this chapter to be invalid or ineffective in whole or in part, the effect of such decision shall be limited to those regulations and provisions which are expressly stated in the decision to be invalid or ineffective, and all other regulations and provisions of this chapter shall continue to be separately and fully effective. It is the expressed intent of the Scranton City Council that this chapter would have been enacted had such invalid or ineffective regulation or provision not been included herein.

This chapter shall not apply to an existing or proposed building or extension thereof that is used or to be used by a public utility corporation regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), if upon petition of the corporation, the PUC shall decide in a public hearing that the present or proposed situation of the building or extension in question is reasonably necessary for the convenience or welfare of the public. It shall be the responsibility of the PUC to ensure that both the corporation and the City of Scranton have notice of the hearing and are granted an opportunity to appear, present witnesses, cross-examine witnesses presented by other parties, and otherwise exercise the rights of a party to the proceedings.