Community Planning

NEW for Falls Township

Effective Dec. 31, 2025– Falls Township has entered the regulatory jurisdiction of the Wyoming County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. Any new subdivision or land development applications involving lands inside Falls Township should be submitted directly to the Wyoming County Office of Community Planning utilizing this Office’s Application Form and Fee Schedule posted here. On Dec. 17, 2025- The Falls Township Board of Supervisors voted to rescind their previously enacted local municipal Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. That same day- The Supervisors also voted to adopt the Wyoming County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance for Falls Township, and to designate the Wyoming County Planning Commission and Wyoming County Office of Community Planning as its official administrative agencies for review and approval-disapproval of plats as allowed by Section 502(c) of PA Act 247. Wyoming County officials formally voted to express “concurrence” for taking on these responsibilities, as required by State law, on the following dates: Board of Commissioners (Sept. 9, 2025) and the Planning Commission (Sept. 17, 2025). Despite these changes- Falls Township has retained its local Zoning Ordinance which will continue to affect land-use plan proposals in that municipality (see more on “Administration of SUBDIVISION and LAND DEVELOPMENT” in Wyoming County listed below).

Overview: WYOMING COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

The Wyoming County Planning Commission is a nine (9)-member commission appointed by the Wyoming County Board of Commissioners. These appointments are authorized by Article II of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247). The Planning Commission was originally established by the Board of Commissioners on Nov. 26, 1963.

The Planning Commission has the powers and duties outlined in PA Act 247. One of its central purposes- The Planning Commission regulates subdivisions and land developments proposed within nineteen (19) of the 23 municipalities in Wyoming County in coordination with the Board of Commissioners. The Planning Commission has approval-disapproval authority for Major Subdivisions and Land Developments proposed inside these nineteen (19) municipalities (see list under “Administration” below). Plan review and (dis/)approval decisions are conducted according to the processes outlined in the Wyoming County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. Check the Ordinance to see how these plan categories are defined. Planning Commission members’ names are listed below at the bottom of this page.

Wyoming County consists of 23 MUNICIPALITIES: eighteen (18) townships and five (5) boroughs

Complete list of all 23 municipalities in Wyoming County:

Braintrim Township, Clinton Township, Eaton Township, Exeter Township, Factoryville Borough, Fall Township, Forkston Township, Laceyville Borough, Lemon Township, Mehoopany Township, Meshoppen Borough, Meshoppen Township, Monroe Township, Nicholson Borough, Nicholson Township, North Branch Township, Northmoreland Township, Noxen Township, Overfield Township, Tunkhannock Borough, Tunkhannock Township, Washington Township, and Windham Township.

Administration of SUBDIVISION and LAND DEVELOPMENT

Wyoming County has enacted a Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

Four (4) municipalities inside Wyoming County have adopted their own home-rule Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. These municipalities are: Clinton Township, Factoryville Borough, Overfield Township, and Washington Township. All subdivision and land development applications involving properties exclusively contained within these four (4) municipalities should be submitted directly to the appropriate local municipal government office building. These municipalities have their own approval-disapproval authorities and serve as the central administrative point-of-contact for such applications. Interested parties must contact the local home-rule municipality in order to obtain a copy of their unique Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

The remaining nineteen (19) municipalities not listed in the preceding paragraph fall under the jurisdiction of the Wyoming County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. These municipalities are: Braintrim Township, Eaton Township, Exeter Township, Falls Township, Forkston Township, Laceyville Borough, Lemon Township, Mehoopany Township, Meshoppen Borough, Meshoppen Township, Monroe Township, Nicholson Borough, Nicholson Township, North Branch Township, Northmoreland Township, Noxen Township, Tunkhannock Borough, Tunkhannock Township, and Windham Township. All subdivision and land development applications involving properties exclusively contained within these nineteen (19) municipalities should be submitted directly to the Wyoming County Office of Community Planning utilizing this Office’s Application Form and Fee Schedule posted here. If one of these nineteen (19) municipalities happens to have a Zoning Ordinance in effect, then the County will coordinate checks on the proposal’s zoning compliance with the local municipal Zoning Officer as part of the plan-review process. In these cases- The Applicant and Plan Preparer should discuss the full scope of their proposal with the local Zoning Officer prior to submitting to the County Office of Community Planning to see if any special zoning permissions might be needed beforehand such as a Variance, Conditional Use, or Special Exception.

Wyoming County OFFICE OF COMMUNITY PLANNING

The Wyoming County Office of Community Planning assists the Wyoming County Planning Commission administratively with its duties and activities as the duly created land-use planning agency or “Planning Department” authorized by PA Act 247 and the Wyoming County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. Regardless of type or classification- All applications for subdivision and land development involving properties exclusively contained within the nineteen (19) municipalities listed in the preceding paragraph should be submitted directly to the Wyoming County Office of Community Planning. The Office processes these applications based on the parameters outlined in PA Act 247, the County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, other applicable State and municipal laws, and the majority voting decisions of the County Planning Commission.

Matthew C. Jones, AICP, serves as the County Planner. In this capacity, he serves as Planning Director for the Wyoming County Planning Commission and Staff Director of the Wyoming County Office of Community Planning. Meghan Coury is the Staff Assistant.

The Planning Director has approval-disapproval authority for Minor Subdivisions and Minor Land Developments proposed for properties exclusively contained within the nineteen (19) municipalities listed in the preceding section- as authorized by the County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. Check the Ordinance to see how these plan categories are defined.

COUNTY ADVISORY REVIEWS for “Unique” Municipalities with Home-Rule Authority

As stated above- There are four (4) home-rule municipalities in Wyoming County which have their own approval-disapproval authorities and serve as the receivers/administrative points-of-contact for such applications. However, State law requires that copies of such applications also be forwarded to the Wyoming County Office of Community Planning with a request for review and comment. State law allows local municipal governments to control and manage the forwarding process, if they wish. Landowners, surveyors, and engineers should check and coordinate with the local municipal government for direction. Applications forwarded to the Wyoming County Office of Community Planning for such advisory reviews must be accompanied with a check for $100 payable to “Wyoming County.” The local municipal government may pay this fee, or they may require the landowner or developer/agent to cover the fee. In these cases, State law affords the County Office of Community Planning up to 30 days to issue an advisory review letter to the home-rule municipal government regarding the application. The home-rule municipal government should not approve/disapprove the application until it receives this review letter from the County, or the expiration of 30 days, whichever occurs sooner. Historically, the County has referred to home-rule communities as “Unique,” and for better or worse, the name stuck. The term “Unique” frequently appears in County meeting agendas and reports.

ZONING in Wyoming County

Wyoming County does not have “county-wide” zoning. The following ten (10) municipalities in Wyoming County have adopted their own Zoning Ordinance: Clinton Township, Eaton Township, Exeter Township, Factoryville Borough, Falls Township, Monroe Township, Nicholson Borough, Overfield Township, Tunkhannock Borough and Washington Township. Interested parties must contact the local municipal government office in order to obtain a copy of their Zoning Map and Zoning Ordinance.

In cases where a local municipal Zoning Ordinance contains specific development standards for an item that are different than the standards contained in the Wyoming County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance for that item, the local municipal zoning standard will trump the County standard.

The local municipal Zoning Officer is the sole authority for determining a project’s zoning compliance, unless a case is appealed to the local municipal Zoning Hearing Board (Variances and Special Exceptions); or the local municipal governing body (Conditional Uses); or other adjudicative body in civil court. When appropriate, the County will coordinate checks on a proposal’s zoning compliance with the local municipal Zoning Officer. This occurs in cases where the County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance AND the local Zoning Ordinance both apply to applications inside a certain municipality.

The other thirteen (13) municipalities in Wyoming County not already listed in this section do not have zoning. These municipalities without zoning are: Braintrim Township, Forkston Township, Laceyville Borough, Lemon Township, Mehoopany Township, Meshoppen Borough, Meshoppen Township, Nicholson Township, North Branch Township, Northmoreland Township, Noxen Township, Tunkhannock Township, and Windham Township.

This map illustrates which municipalities have (or do not have) zoning in Wyoming County.

OTHER SERVICES

The Wyoming County Office of Community Planning helps spearhead or coordinate various projects and initiatives with the aim of addressing local, regional, and county-wide issues. This work is guided by mandates and deadlines outlined in PA Act 247 and other State laws, available resources, and input from Planning Commission members and the Board of Commissioners.

As able, our Office Staff try to assist local municipal governments as well as landowners, developers, surveyors, engineers, investors, realtors, residents, and lessees with the scoping of technical and professional land-use planning, subdivision, and development project ideas. We also try to answer general questions, and serve as a repository/clearinghouse for relevant plans, data, and information. However, resources are limited; therefore:

Landowners/developers wishing to explore/pursue a particular project idea should consider hiring one of the following agents to help them scope its viability and accelerate/guide execution of the project:

Professional Land Surveyor (PLS credential) required by State law to prepare and verify the accuracy of any Subdivision Plan involving the proposed creation of a new property boundary line.
Professional Engineer (PE credential) required by State law to prepare and verify the accuracy of any Land Development Plan involving technical stormwater controls or other engineering services.
Land-Use Lawyer (for legal advice and questions involving land-use laws; and the drafting of legal land-use agreements).

It is the responsibility of the Applicant and their hired agent to research and demonstrate compliance with the Wyoming County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance at time of initial application (Ordinance Section 601.1).

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS & LINKS:

MEETING AGENDAS

MEETING MINUTES

MINOR SUBDIVISION REPORTS

ANNUAL REPORTS

STAFF:

Matthew C. Jones, AICP – Director, mjones@wyomingcountypa.gov

Meghan Coury – Assistant, meghan.coury@wyomingcountypa.gov

(570) 996-2268

Wyoming County Office of Community Planning
1 Courthouse Square, 3rd Floor
Tunkhannock, PA 18657

PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS:

Chair – Randy Ehrenzeller
Eaton Township
Serving term through Dec. 31, 2028