What It Costs to Start a Legal Scranton STR Stay 2026

Thomas Garner
14 hours ago
6 min read

Empty University of Scranton campus-edge street, no people

Call Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555. Robin Selemba, Rental Registration Manager. Email rselemba@scrantonpa.gov. 340 N. Washington Avenue. The Rental Ordinance of 2022 requires a Rental License on every rental property. Official city page: apply by September 15. Beginning in 2024, license renewal applications must be submitted March 15 annually. New rental units must be licensed within 30 days of tenancy. Fees: $45 per unit for 1 to 3 units; $150 flat for 4 to 9; $250 flat for 10 to 19; $350 flat for 20 to 49; $450 flat for 50 or more. Immediate-family-occupied units are exempt from fees but still require a license. Inspections run on a three-year cycle. The first re-inspection is free. Portal slate.tolemi.com. e-check has no fee. Card is 3 percent. Renting an unlicensed unit is a violation as of September 16, 2023. Foreclosed, vacant, lis pendens, and deed-in-lieu properties must register. Pennsylvania hotel occupancy tax is 6 percent. Lackawanna County hotel tax is 7 percent. Confirm remaining Pennsylvania Department of Revenue collection. Confirm 2026. AirROI's low-regulation scrape is not the license file. Starting a Scranton listing is a license-and-tax question first. AirROI's current Scranton extract, August 2025 through July 2026, pins typical listings at about $14,656 a year on 85 active rentals. The average night was $155. Occupancy was 37.9 percent. Revenue per available night was $54. Year over year is minus 11.4 percent. Active supply moved plus 34.9 percent.

Call the Desk Before You Buy Furniture

Call Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555. Robin Selemba, Rental Registration Manager. Email rselemba@scrantonpa.gov. 340 N. Washington Avenue. The Rental Ordinance of 2022 requires a Rental License on every rental property. Official city page: apply by September 15. Beginning in 2024, license renewal applications must be submitted March 15 annually. New rental units must be licensed within 30 days of tenancy. Fees: $45 per unit for 1 to 3 units; $150 flat for 4 to 9; $250 flat for 10 to 19; $350 flat for 20 to 49; $450 flat for 50 or more. Immediate-family-occupied units are exempt from fees but still require a license. Inspections run on a three-year cycle. The first re-inspection is free. Portal slate.tolemi.com. e-check has no fee. Card is 3 percent. Renting an unlicensed unit is a violation as of September 16, 2023. Foreclosed, vacant, lis pendens, and deed-in-lieu properties must register. Pennsylvania hotel occupancy tax is 6 percent. Lackawanna County hotel tax is 7 percent. Confirm remaining Pennsylvania Department of Revenue collection. Confirm 2026. AirROI's low-regulation scrape is not the license file. Call the desk before you buy furniture. Financing a Scranton Rental Without a Wilkes-Bar is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

Forty-Five Dollars Before You Advertise

$45 per unit for 1 to 3 units before you advertise. Confirm 2026. Scranton vs Wilkes-Barre Desks is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

March 15 Is the Renewal

Beginning in 2024, renewals are due March 15 annually. Confirm remaining deadline at Robin Selemba's desk. Scranton vs Wilkes-Barre is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

Inspections Run on a Three-Year Cycle

Inspections run on a three-year cycle. The first re-inspection is free. Scranton Getaways is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

State 6 Percent and County 7 Percent

Pennsylvania hotel occupancy tax is 6 percent. Lackawanna County hotel tax is 7 percent. Confirm remaining Pennsylvania Department of Revenue collection. Confirm 2026. Market a Scranton Stay is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

A Listing Scrape Is Not the Startup Budget

A listing scrape is not the startup budget. AirROI's licensed share is not the hall. Scranton STR Rules is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg Have Other Halls

Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg have other halls. Scranton PA Shoulder is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

What a Startup Packet Should Carry

What a startup packet should carry is the parcel, a local representative contact, and remaining city-code questions. Scranton Remote Stays is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

Hosts who underwrite Lackawanna River stays should keep $14,656 on 85 city listings, call 570-348-4193 ext. 4555, and leave Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg on their own lines. We market. We do not take the lock.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it cost to start a Scranton STR?

Call Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555 first — the fee is $45 per unit for buildings with 1 to 3 units. Confirm the March 15 renewal date and the combined 13 percent hotel tax (6 percent state, 7 percent Lackawanna County) while you have them on the line. Keep this figure on its own line rather than borrowing a satellite town's numbers.

When is Scranton's strongest month?

August is the busiest revenue month, with June and May close behind. July reads as the slowest month on this extract, though an older brief had named January instead — treat both as real data points and price the actual hole you're looking at, not a guess.

Do I need a Scranton rental license in 2026?

Yes. Call Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555, or email Robin Selemba, Rental Registration Manager, at rselemba@scrantonpa.gov, 340 N. Washington Avenue. The Rental Ordinance of 2022 requires a Rental License on every rental property, with renewals due March 15 annually (applications by September 15) and new units licensed within 30 days of tenancy. Fees run $45 per unit for 1 to 3 units, $150 flat for 4 to 9, $250 for 10 to 19, $350 for 20 to 49, and $450 for 50 or more.

Is a 30-night minimum the same as occupancy?

No. About 19 listings, 22.4 percent of the 85 active rentals, set a 30-night minimum, while the typical stay across the market is still 5.6 nights. A rental license is an ordinance requirement; a 30-night filter is just a platform setting a host chose. Don't confuse the two when you're pricing a startup budget.

Should I hire a manager in Scranton or on the satellites?

Professionally managed share sits at 5.9 percent, with Evolve holding 2 listings — independent hosts still run most of this desk. Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg are each their own city market and reward their own listing copy. Paying city-scale management fees for the wrong town is buying the wrong product.

Who books a Scranton stay?

Most guests arrive from New York, then Pittsburgh, with a typical stay of 5.6 nights and a 35-day lead. Downtown, Steamtown, and West Side each pull a slightly different occasion, so photos and captions should match the actual house and neighborhood rather than a blended regional pitch.

Can I use Wilkes-Barre's numbers as the Scranton year?

No. AirROI's current Scranton extract, August 2025 through July 2026, pins typical listings at about $14,656 a year on 85 active rentals — $155 average night, 37.9 percent occupancy, $54 RevPAR, year over year down 11.4 percent. Wilkes-Barre earned about $11,303 across 45 listings in the same window, a separate town and a separate figure.

When is the Scranton license renewal due?

Renewals are due March 15 annually, per the official city page, with new applications due by September 15. Confirm the exact 2026 deadline with Robin Selemba, Rental Registration Manager, at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555 or rselemba@scrantonpa.gov, 340 N. Washington Avenue.

What should a buyer packet carry for a Scranton parcel?

Cite the $14,656 typical year on 85 city listings, note supply up 34.9 percent against year-over-year revenue down 11.4 percent, and list the Rental Licensing number, 570-348-4193 ext. 4555. Keep Wilkes-Barre's $11,303 figure on its own separate line rather than blending it into the Scranton number.

Where do I confirm the city desk in Scranton?

Call Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555, or reach Robin Selemba, Rental Registration Manager, at rselemba@scrantonpa.gov, 340 N. Washington Avenue. That's where the Rental Ordinance of 2022 requirements, the per-unit fee schedule, and the March 15 renewal cycle all get confirmed for 2026.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

Starting a Scranton listing is a license-and-tax question first. Send the parcel before you furnish.

Price the town path. A scrape is not a missing tax. Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.