Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Covington Township, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Zoning

Township zoning applies inside Covington Township; Tioga County has no countywide zoning¹⁶

Building permit

Required for building work under the state Uniform Construction Code, issued by a third-party agency after township approvals³⁴

Who inspects

ERB Inspections or Code Assessment Professionals; floodplain projects must use Code Assessment Professionals⁴⁷

Septic

Township Sewage Enforcement Officer, not the township office⁵

RV / campers

More than one camper on a parcel in spring/summer is limited to six months and needs a waste system⁸

Driveway permit

Required; $100 fee⁹

Public water

Homes within 150 feet of the new water line must connect¹⁰

Private wells

Pennsylvania DEP does not regulate private homeowner wells¹¹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Does Covington Township, PA have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and setbacks?

Yes. Covington Township, in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, has its own zoning, and projects are subject to the township ordinances currently in effect¹. The township publishes a zoning map and a fee schedule on its Ordinances & Codes page¹². Tioga County itself has no countywide zoning, so the township's ordinance, not a county rule, decides what you can do on a parcel here⁶.

For campers, the township fee schedule says that having more than one camper on one parcel in spring and summer is allowed for six months, after which the campers must be removed, and the parcel needs some kind of waste system such as a porta potty⁸. We could not confirm the township's rules on tiny homes, accessory dwellings, minimum house size, lot size or setbacks. Call the township office, which keeps zoning office hours of 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Monday to Thursday, before you commit to a plan¹³.

Do you need a building permit in Covington Township, and who issues it?

Yes. Building work covered by Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code needs a building permit in Covington Township, and the permit comes from a certified third-party agency rather than a township employee³⁴. For projects outside designated flood hazard areas, owners may choose ERB Inspections or Code Assessment Professionals⁴. ERB Inspections handles building code enforcement, required inspections and code-related approvals, and the township office does not interpret building codes or perform inspections¹⁴.

Projects in identified floodplain areas must use Code Assessment Professionals, the township's designated floodplain administrator¹⁵. The order matters: zoning permits, sewage approvals and any other local permits must be in hand before a third-party agency issues the building permit³.

Farm buildings used for the stated agricultural purposes can be exempt from the building code, but the exemption excludes habitable space and does not excuse zoning or other local approvals¹⁶.

How do township permits work, and what do they cost?

Covington Township permit applications must be printed, completed and delivered to the township office by mail or in person, with fees due at submission; no work may start until approval is granted². The posted fee schedule lists a $50 combined zoning and building permit fee that is the township's share only, and the third-party agency charges its own fees separately¹⁷¹⁸.

A driveway onto a township road needs a $100 permit⁹. The township does the pipe work and provides the first five tons of gravel; the owner buys the pipe and any extra gravel, and neither the owner nor a contractor may install the pipe off a township road⁹. Subdividing a parcel starts with a subdivision application at the township office¹⁹.

How do septic permits work in Covington Township?

Septic permits in Covington Township come from the township's Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO), who handles septic permits, inspections, soil testing and system requirements; the township office does not issue septic permits or decide septic requirements⁵²⁰. The county's official list names a single SEO who serves Covington and several neighboring townships²¹.

Pennsylvania law requires a permit before an on-lot sewage system is installed, subject to exceptions²¹. One exception covers an owner-occupied home on a contiguous tract of 10 acres or more, but it applies only if the owner held the land as of January 10, 1987, and not where a local ordinance requires a permit²². We could not confirm whether Covington Township's ordinances require a permit anyway, so ask the SEO before relying on it.

USDA rates only 0.9% of Tioga County soils as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system²³. Homes within 150 feet of the new public water line must connect to it¹⁰.

Building a home in Covington Township: the steps, in order

1. Call the Covington Township Office to confirm your zoning district and what the ordinance allows on the parcel¹³¹.
2. Contact the Sewage Enforcement Officer for soil testing and a septic permit, or confirm in writing whether an exemption applies⁵²².
3. Submit the township zoning permit application and fee, plus a driveway permit application if you need a new driveway²⁹.
4. Check whether the parcel is in an identified floodplain, which decides which third-party agency you must use¹⁵.
5. Hire ERB Inspections or Code Assessment Professionals for the building permit, once the township approvals are in hand⁴³.
6. Schedule the required inspections, then ask for a certificate of occupancy before moving in; Pennsylvania's code says a building may not be used or occupied without one⁷²⁴.

What stays with Tioga County, and what should you check before you buy?

Subdivision and land development proposals that fall under the county ordinance go to the Tioga County Planning Commission, which can approve, deny or condition them²⁵. For land outside the township, see the Tioga County page.

Water: Pennsylvania DEP does not regulate private homeowner wells, but the township requires homes within 150 feet of the new water line to connect¹¹¹⁰. We could not confirm any township rule on private wells.

Flood: every Tioga County municipality has its own Floodplain Administrator, and in Covington Township that role belongs to Code Assessment Professionals²⁶¹⁵.

Taxes: Tioga County's effective property tax rate is 1.2%, with a median bill of $2093 a year²⁷²⁸.

Watch-outs

• Four townships in Pennsylvania share the name Covington; this guide covers Covington Township in Tioga County, and the township website lists separate phone numbers for the others, so confirm you reached the right office¹.
• We could not confirm Covington Township's rules on minimum lot size, setbacks, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or owner-built homes; ask the township office before you buy¹³.
• A township may require a septic permit by ordinance even where state law offers a 10-acre exemption, so ask the Sewage Enforcement Officer first²².

Sources

1. Ordinances & Codes - Covington Township (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
2. Permits - Covington Township (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
3. Covington Township - Home (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
4. Covington Township - Home (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
5. Sewer Services - Covington Township (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
6. Tioga County Data Center Planning FAQ, quoted and re-checked
7. Ordinances & Codes - Covington Township (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
8. Covington Township Fee Schedule (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
9. Covington Township Fee Schedule (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
10. Covington Township - Home (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
11. Private Water Wells, quoted and re-checked
12. Ordinances & Codes - Covington Township (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
13. Covington Township Office (covingtontownship.com)
14. ERB Inspections, LLC (building code official) (covingtontownship.com)
15. Covington Township - Home (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
16. Agricultural Structure Exemption From Building Code Application (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
17. Covington Township Fee Schedule (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
18. File a Uniform Construction Code Complaint, quoted and re-checked
19. Permits - Covington Township (Covington Township), quoted and re-checked
20. Covington Township Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) (covingtontownship.com)
21. 25 Pa. Code Chapter 72: Administration of Sewage Facilities Permitting Program, quoted and re-checked
22. 25 Pa. Code Chapter 72: Administration of Sewage Facilities Permitting Program, quoted and re-checked
23. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
24. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
25. Tioga County Planning Commission, quoted and re-checked
26. Tioga County - Floodplain Administrators, quoted and re-checked
27. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
28. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.