Lackawanna County Sex Offender Registry and Scranton Resources
Lackawanna County is located in northeastern Pennsylvania and is anchored by Scranton, one of the largest cities in the northeastern part of the state. Scranton serves as the county seat and is the commercial, governmental, and cultural center of the region. Registered sex offenders in Lackawanna County are listed on the Pennsylvania Megan's Law registry, maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police. Residents throughout the county, from Scranton neighborhoods to the surrounding boroughs and townships, can search this public database at any time.
Lackawanna County Quick Facts
About the Lackawanna County Sex Offender Registry
The Lackawanna County sex offender registry is part of the statewide Pennsylvania Megan's Law system administered by the Pennsylvania State Police. Because Lackawanna County includes Scranton, a city of substantial size for northeastern Pennsylvania, the county has a larger number of registered sex offenders than smaller rural counties. Multiple registration sites serve the county, including PSP facilities and designated locations in Scranton.
Scranton has its own police department, the Scranton Police Department, which works alongside the Pennsylvania State Police and the Lackawanna County Sheriff's Office on matters related to registered offenders. This multi-agency approach reflects the urban complexity of a county that includes both a mid-sized city and a ring of smaller communities such as Carbondale, Olyphant, Archbald, and Dunmore.
The Lackawanna County government website provides public safety contacts, court information, and county services for all Lackawanna County communities including Scranton.
Visit lackawannacounty.org for county government contacts, court services, and public safety resources for Scranton and the surrounding Lackawanna County area.
Lackawanna County is part of the larger Scranton-Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area and borders Luzerne County to the south. The proximity of these two populous counties means that offenders sometimes commute or move between jurisdictions, making it useful to check both the Lackawanna County and Luzerne County registries if you live near the county line.
Note: Lackawanna County has several institutions of higher education, including the University of Scranton and Lackawanna College. Registered sex offenders who enroll or are employed at these institutions are required to disclose this to the state registry and the institution under the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act.
How to Search Lackawanna County Sex Offenders
The Pennsylvania State Police maintain the official Megan's Law registry at meganslaw.psp.pa.gov. Lackawanna County residents can search for registered offenders by county, by offender name, by zip code, or by using a radius search around a specific address in Scranton or anywhere else in the county. All four methods return matching registrants with photos, current addresses, offense details, and tier classification.
Selecting Lackawanna County from the county filter returns all offenders currently registered within the county. This includes offenders in Scranton, Carbondale, Olyphant, Jessup, Archbald, Dunmore, Taylor, and all other boroughs and townships in the county. Because Lackawanna County is more densely populated than rural Pennsylvania counties, search results may include a larger number of registrants.
The zip code search is particularly useful for Scranton residents who want to focus on a specific part of the city. Scranton has multiple zip codes, and entering one along with a short radius will narrow results to a manageable set of registrants in your immediate neighborhood. Similarly, residents of smaller boroughs in Lackawanna County can search by their zip code to see offenders registered nearby.
The radius search is effective for anyone who wants to see offenders near a specific address, such as a school, daycare, or workplace in Lackawanna County. Enter the address and set a radius of half a mile to several miles. Results will include offenders in neighboring counties like Luzerne or Monroe if they are within your search radius.
The Megan's Law website also offers a free email alert service. Lackawanna County residents can register up to five addresses and receive automatic notifications by email whenever a registered offender's address or information changes within five miles of a saved location. This is especially useful for Scranton parents who want ongoing awareness without manually checking the registry.
Lackawanna County, Scranton, and Pennsylvania Megan's Law
Pennsylvania's Megan's Law applies uniformly across all 67 counties, including Lackawanna County and the city of Scranton. The law requires the Pennsylvania State Police to maintain a public registry of all qualified sex offenders and to carry out active community notification when sexually violent predators move to new addresses. The law is codified in 42 Pa.C.S. Chapter 97.
Scranton is a historically significant city in northeastern Pennsylvania, with roots in anthracite coal mining and a diverse urban population. The Scranton Police Department works within the Megan's Law framework alongside the PSP and the Lackawanna County Sheriff to ensure that registered offenders in the city are monitored and compliant. Multiple registration sites in Scranton serve offenders who need to complete in-person verification requirements.
The City of Scranton government website provides public safety contacts and city services for Scranton residents seeking information on registered sex offenders in the city.
Visit scrantonpa.gov for Scranton city government contacts, the Scranton Police Department, and public safety information for city residents.
The Pennsylvania Megan's Law registry is the official database for all registered sex offenders in Lackawanna County, updated in real time by the Pennsylvania State Police.
Access the full registry and sign up for email alerts at meganslaw.psp.pa.gov.
Note: Offenders who are convicted outside Pennsylvania and move to Scranton or anywhere else in Lackawanna County must register with the Pennsylvania State Police within three business days of establishing a residence, employment, or school enrollment in the county.
Sex Offender Tiers in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania assigns every registered sex offender to one of three tiers based on the nature of their conviction. The tier determines how long they remain on the registry and how often they must appear in person to verify their registration information. All registrants in Lackawanna County are classified under this system.
Tier I is the minimum level, requiring 15 years of registration and annual in-person verification. This tier covers lower-level qualifying offenses. Even at the minimum tier, registrants in Scranton and throughout Lackawanna County must keep all details accurate and report any changes within three business days.
Tier II requires 25 years of registration and verification every six months. Mid-level offenses, including certain crimes involving minors, fall into this tier. Tier II offenders in Lackawanna County must appear at a designated registration location twice per year.
Tier III is the most serious classification, requiring lifetime registration and quarterly verification. Rape, sexual assault of young children, and other predatory or violent sex crimes qualify for this tier. Sexually violent predators, who are designated by the court after evaluation by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board (SOAB), are also required to register for life and verify quarterly. SVPs additionally trigger active community notification each time they register a new address in Lackawanna County.
The SOAB evaluates offenders who may qualify for SVP status. This assessment directly affects the notification obligations and registration requirements that apply to the offender. Lackawanna County residents can check whether a specific registrant is an SVP by looking at their individual profile on the Megan's Law website.
Lackawanna County Law Enforcement and Registered Offenders
Law enforcement in Lackawanna County is handled by a combination of agencies. The Scranton Police Department covers the city of Scranton, the largest community in the county. The Pennsylvania State Police serve the surrounding townships and smaller boroughs. The Lackawanna County Sheriff's Office provides countywide services including court security, civil process, and coordination on public safety matters.
PSP Troop R, headquartered in Dunmore just outside Scranton, has primary responsibility for Megan's Law compliance monitoring throughout Lackawanna County. Troop R officers conduct verification visits, respond to non-compliance reports, and coordinate with Scranton Police and the Sheriff's Office on offender-related investigations. The multi-agency structure in Lackawanna County ensures that both urban and rural areas of the county receive law enforcement attention regarding registered offenders.
The Pennsylvania State Police, including PSP Troop R based in Dunmore, are the lead agency for Megan's Law enforcement throughout Lackawanna County.
Visit psp.pa.gov for PSP troop contact information and details on Megan's Law enforcement in Scranton and all of Lackawanna County.
Sex Offender Registration Requirements
All registered sex offenders in Lackawanna County, whether living in Scranton or in the surrounding townships, must comply with the requirements of 42 Pa.C.S. Chapter 97. These requirements govern initial registration, periodic in-person verification, and the reporting of any changes to an offender's personal information within three business days.
The three-business-day rule applies to all changes a registrant experiences. This includes moves to a new address anywhere in Lackawanna County or elsewhere in Pennsylvania, changes in employer, new vehicle registrations, new telephone numbers, new email addresses, and any new online accounts or usernames. The window opens on the day the change occurs. In an urban county like Lackawanna, where offenders may change residences more frequently, prompt reporting is especially important.
Offenders who plan to travel internationally must notify the Pennsylvania State Police at least 21 days before their scheduled departure. This advance notice requirement allows the PSP to alert the destination country and verify the offender's return. Departing without advance notice is a registration violation and can result in criminal charges.
Transient offenders who lack a fixed address must report to the State Police monthly. Scranton's urban environment includes shelters and transitional housing programs, and offenders staying in these facilities without a stable address must still comply with the monthly reporting requirement to maintain their registration.
Complete details on all registration requirements are available at the PSP Megan's Law registration information page.
Community Notification in Lackawanna County
When a sexually violent predator registers a new address in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania law requires active community notification. The Pennsylvania State Police notify all residents within 250 feet of the new address, or the 25 nearest residences, whichever covers more people. Schools within one mile are notified, as are licensed childcare facilities and any colleges or universities within 1,000 feet of the new address.
In Scranton, where the University of Scranton and Lackawanna College are located, any SVP who registers an address within 1,000 feet of either campus would trigger a formal notification to the institution. This provision is particularly important in Scranton's denser neighborhoods, where a 1,000-foot radius can encompass a significant portion of a residential area surrounding a campus.
Active notification applies only to SVPs. For Tier I and Tier II offenders, the public registry and the email alert service are the primary tools. Scranton and Lackawanna County residents can sign up for free email alerts at meganslaw.psp.pa.gov. The alert service covers all registered offenders and notifies you when any registrant's information changes within five miles of your saved addresses.
Note: Lackawanna County's urban density means that community notification involving SVPs in Scranton may reach a large number of households. Law enforcement coordinates the notification process carefully to ensure timely and accurate outreach to all required recipients.
Reporting Non-Compliance in Lackawanna County
If you believe a registered sex offender in Lackawanna County is not following the law, report it immediately to the Pennsylvania State Police at 1-866-771-3170. This tip line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and accepts anonymous reports. Scranton residents can also contact the Scranton Police Department directly, or the Lackawanna County Sheriff's Office for matters involving unincorporated areas of the county.
Non-compliance includes living at an address not listed on the registry, working at an employer not on file, missing a required in-person verification appointment, and failing to report a change in address, employment, vehicle, phone, or online accounts within three business days. These violations are criminal offenses. Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3130, failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements is a felony of the third degree in Pennsylvania.
Anyone who knowingly assists a registered offender in avoiding compliance is also subject to felony charges. This includes providing false information to conceal an offender's location, helping an offender avoid appearing for verification, or otherwise facilitating non-compliance. If your report includes information about someone helping a non-compliant offender in Scranton or elsewhere in Lackawanna County, provide those details when you contact the PSP.
For information about the SVP classification process or the assessment criteria used by the state, contact the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board. The SOAB evaluates offenders and advises the courts on SVP designations that affect how registrants are classified and monitored in Lackawanna County.
Nearby Counties
Lackawanna County borders Wayne, Pike, Monroe, Susquehanna, Wyoming, and Luzerne counties. Offenders who move between these counties must re-register within three business days, so residents near any of these county lines should also check the neighboring registries.