Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Covington, Washington

Covington’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Covington city limits.

  • The chapter lists adoption of the International Building Code, International Residential Code, Uniform Plumbing Code, International Mechanical Code, International Fuel Gas Code, Washington State Energy Code, International Fire Code, International Property Maintenance Code, International Existing Building Code, and Washington manufactured-home installation standards.

  “15.05.070 International Building Code adopted.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Covington city limits.

  • Residential uses are controlled through the City’s residential-use table and zoning districts.

  “this zoning code is adopted and declared to be the zoning code for the City of Covington until amended, repealed or superseded.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Covington city limits.

  • The residential-use table publishes columns for US, R4-8, R-12, R-18, MR, CC, NC, RCMU, and I.

  “SIC # | SPECIFIC LAND USE | US | R4-8 | R-12 | R-18 | MR | CC | NC | RCMU | I”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles in manufactured-home parks inside Covington city limits.

  • An existing manufactured-home-park space or pad may accommodate an RV only if specifically for RVs when the park was established; an RV in a park storage area may not be used as living quarters.

  “No spaces or pads in an existing manufactured home park shall be used to accommodate recreational vehicles (RVs), except when the spaces or pads were specifically for RVs at the time the park was established.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured-home parks inside Covington city limits.

  • The current residential-use table marks manufactured-home parks as conditional in the R4-8 and R-18 districts.

  “Manufactured home park | | C7 | | C7 | | | | |”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Residential lots inside Covington city limits.

  • Up to two ADUs in any combination of attached or detached configurations are permitted on residentially zoned lots, subject to Chapter 18.35 CMC and RCW 36.70A.681. Sewer requirements are governed by Chapter 13.10 CMC.

  maximum accessory dwelling units: <= 2 ADUs (May be in any combination of attached or detached configurations.)

  “One primary dwelling unit and up to two accessory dwelling units (ADU) in any combination of attached or detached configurations pursuant to Chapter 18.35 CMC and RCW 36.70A.681;”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Development proposals inside Covington city limits using an on-site sewage system instead of public sewer.

  • The City’s public-sewer requirement applies unless an express exemption is met; other-agency approval remains required. The cited exemption for certain nonresidential development applies only when more than 300 feet from public sewer and after PHSKC approval and the additional listed conditions.

  public sewer distance: > 300 feet (Nonresidential exemption.)

  “Exemptions from Connecting to a Public Sewer System. The following are exempt from providing a sewer connection as follows. An exemption does not eliminate the requirement for the applicant to obtain approval from other agencies with jurisdiction.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Development proposals inside Covington city limits.

  • All development proposals must be served by public sewer, subject to the listed exemptions. A new single-family home, expansion, or remodel on a preexisting lot is exempt where sewer availability is greater than 300 feet and PHSKC approves an on-site design.

  sewer availability distance: > 300 feet (Single-family exemption requires PHSKC on-site sewage-system-design approval.)

  “All development proposals, including but not limited to multifamily and single-family development proposals, commercial site plans, subdivisions and short subdivisions within the City shall be served by public sewer facilities.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Proposals to subdivide land inside Covington city limits.

  • A subdivision proposal must comply with the underlying zoning district’s minimum density standards.

  “Any proposal to subdivide land must comply with the underlying zoning district’s minimum density standards.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveways providing ingress and egress between off-street parking areas and abutting streets inside Covington city limits.

  • Driveways must comply with Chapter 12.60 CMC. A single-detached-dwelling driveway may be no more than 20 feet wide and may cross a required setback or landscaped area only if no more than 15 percent of the area is eliminated.

  single-detached driveway width: <= 20 feet (For driveway crossing required setbacks or landscaped areas.) · maximum eliminated setback or landscaping: <= 15 percent (Single-detached dwelling driveway.)

  “Driveways for single detached dwellings, no more than 20 feet in width, may cross required setbacks or landscaped areas to provide access between the off-street parking areas and the street, provided no more than 15 percent of the required landscaping or setback area is eliminated by the driveway.”

• Permit processPartial

  Development using an on-site sewage-system exception inside Covington city limits.

  • For the cited nonresidential sewer exception, PHSKC approval and preliminary design must accompany the underlying land-use application; the recorded future-connection agreement is a permanent condition and no development permit may issue until execution unless the sewer district and designated City official determine otherwise.

  “Any approval and preliminary design for an on-site sewage system shall be submitted with the underlying land use application in accordance with the City’s application completeness requirements;”

Rules another office applies inside Covington

Covington does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential zoning districts inside Covington city limits.

  • The City’s dimensional tables contain the minimum dimensional requirements of each zone; specific current matrix values require confirmation from the current table.

  “Minimum lot area (3) | 2,500 sf | 2,500 sf | 2,500 sf | 2,500 sf | 2,500 sf (3) | 2,500 sf (3) | 2,500 sf (3)”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential zoning districts inside Covington city limits.

  • The City’s dimensional tables and supplemental setback provisions govern; the source identifies the matrix as containing minimum dimensional requirements by zone.

  “Minimum street setback (3) | 20 ft (7) | 10 ft (8) | 10 ft (8) | 10 ft (8) | 10 ft (8) | 10 ft | 10 ft”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential zoning districts inside Covington city limits.

  • The dimensional matrix supplies zone-specific minimum dimensional requirements; one stated exception is that manufactured-home parks are exempt from the impervious-surface limits in Chapter 18.30.

  “Maximum impervious surface: percentage (5) | 30% (16) | 55% | 70% | 75% | 75% (3) | 75% | 80% (3)”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential zoning districts inside Covington city limits.

  • Base height limits may be increased only if the additional one-foot street and interior setback is provided for each foot over the base limit; maximum height under this provision is 75 feet.

  maximum modified height: <= 75 feet (Requires the stated additional street and interior setback for each foot over the base height limit.)

  “Height limits may be increased if portions of the structure that exceed the base height limit provide one additional foot of street and interior setback for each foot above the base height limit, but the maximum height may not exceed 75 feet.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-site sewage systems serving development inside Covington city limits.

  • The City’s sewer ordinance requires PHSKC approval for the stated on-site-system exceptions.

  “The applicant has received approval for an on-site sewage system design from Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) in accordance with the codes of the King County Board of Health.”

• Septic permitRequired

  A new single-family home, expansion, or remodel on a preexisting lot inside Covington city limits when sewer availability is greater than 300 feet.

  • The applicant must obtain PHSKC approval for an on-site sewage-system design and submit the approval and preliminary design with the building-permit application.

  public sewer availability distance: > 300 feet (Applies to the stated single-family-home exemption.)

  “A new single-family home or an expansion or a remodel of a single-family home on a preexisting lot is not required to connect to the public sewer system if the availability of such sewer connection is greater than 300 feet from the property and the applicant has obtained approval for an on-site sewage system design from PHSKC in accordance with the codes of the King County Board of Health.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Covington or King County directly.

• Building permit — New residential construction inside Covington city limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Covington city limits.
• Inspections — Residential construction inside Covington city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — New or altered residential buildings inside Covington city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Covington city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Covington means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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