Covington, Washington Building Permit Guide

In Covington, the Permit Services team of the Community Development Department takes building, mechanical, plumbing, fire and sign applications, and the City’s building safety staff review the plans and inspect the work. Most applications are filed and paid on Citizens Connect, the City’s online permit center, and the 65% plan review fee is due when you apply. The City does not touch wiring: the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) sells electrical permits and inspects the work, with a service office in Tukwila at 12806 Gateway Drive S.

The office is in City Hall at 16720 SE 271st Street, Suite 100. It works Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and meetings in person or on Microsoft Teams are by appointment, booked through permitservices@covingtonwa.gov; walk-in visitors may not be seen. The Permit Center line, 253-480-2449, takes voicemail and calls back within two or three business days. Salina Lyons is the Community Development Director. The city’s 2025 Census estimate is 21,496 residents.

These rules cover land inside Covington’s city limits; King County permits the unincorporated land around the city.

What requires a building permit in Covington?

Covington adopts the 2021 International Building Code and International Residential Code as the state amended them, and changes a few of the exempt-work items in chapter 15.05 of the Covington Municipal Code (CMC). Anything outside those exemptions needs a permit, and the City’s permit FAQ adds that setbacks and impervious surface limits still apply to exempt structures.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The construction codes, energy code and plumbing code are state codes, and Covington enforces them as of March 15, 2024. The City sets its own fees by council resolution (CMC 15.05.200), the shed, deck and solar exemptions above, its hearing examiner appeals, critical areas and tree rules and its impact fees. One difference to know: the City’s solar handout from October 2024 gives a 3-pound load limit, while the adopted code section allows up to 4 pounds per sq ft.

Washington has a mandatory statewide building code under chapter 19.27 RCW that every city and county enforces and may make stricter; electrical permits come from the Department of Labor and Industries unless the city runs its own program or Tacoma Power serves the site. Building codes in Washington

Covington building department: who handles permitting

CMC 15.05.070 creates the Building Safety Division under a Building Code Official, and the City’s Permit Services team is the front door for applications, fees, inspection requests and permit status. Planning answers zoning and critical areas questions at planning@covingtonwa.gov, and code questions go to building@covingtonwa.gov. Fire plan review is part of the City’s fee schedule, charged as a share of the building permit fee.

Permit types

Residential permits

The building forms page lists separate applications for residential building, demolition, mechanical, plumbing, fire, signs, right-of-way use and temporary occupancy, with checklists for a single-family house (submittal and minimum drawings), manufactured homes, garage conversions and decks. The City sorts water heaters by fuel: a gas water heater goes on a mechanical permit and an electric one on a plumbing permit. The residential application records dwelling, garage, deck and porch areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, height and whether the lot uses a well, septic or a water and sewer district, and it lists the mechanical and plumbing units for the same job.

An accessory dwelling unit needs the City’s ADU affidavit, and a homeowner acting as builder files the notarized Affidavit in Lieu of Contractor Registration, naming the exemption in RCW 18.27.090 that applies. A residential re-roof is a flat $394 under the 2026 schedule and, when one is needed, the City’s FAQ says it is issued over the counter with sheathing and final inspections.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit applications, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the commercial building application with the commercial submittal checklist, the tenant improvement checklists or the multifamily checklist, and plans follow the ePermit electronic plan and file naming standards. New owners of small businesses can book a free 30-minute meeting with the Small Business Liaison, and a pre-application conference for larger projects is $1,171. A temporary certificate of occupancy costs $591 below $2 million of valuation and 2% of the building permit fee above it, and phased occupancy is $788.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial building permits through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

Zoning, design and land use permits run through the same department. A standalone critical area review for a single-family building permit starts at $1,299 plus the City’s consultant costs and 10%, and clearing, grading, tree removal and shoreline permits each have their own fees in the schedule. Work in a public street needs a right-of-way use permit. If the lot relies on a septic system, Public Health – Seattle & King County runs the on-site sewage program.

Covington permit costs and fees

Covington adopted its 2026 fee schedule by Resolution 2025-19, and the City Council amended it with Resolution 2026-12 by a 7-0 vote on May 12, 2026, mainly to replace the transportation impact fee table; the amended schedule took effect May 20, 2026. Building fees follow a valuation table, and the 65% plan review fee is due when you apply. The schedule does not include a line for the state building code fee.

Worked example. A $60,000 home remodel in Covington pays $1,035 for the building permit: $905 covers the first $50,000 and $13 is added for each of the next ten thousands. Plan review at 65%, paid up front, is $672.75, for $1,707.75 before the $50 technology fee and any energy, fire, mechanical or plumbing charges.

New houses also pay impact fees at issuance. The amended schedule sets the transportation impact fee for a detached single-family home at $7,276 and the park impact fee at $6,815, lists the Kent School District fee at $0, and charges a fire impact fee of $1.07 per sq ft ($0.75 with a residential sprinkler system). Ordinance 10-2026, passed October 27, 2026, adopts the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority’s 2027 fee schedule from December 6, 2026, which raises the unsprinklered single-family rate to $1.08 per sq ft.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mechanical and plumbing permits are City permits, with unit fees for each furnace, heat pump, gas outlet or fixture; commercial mechanical and plumbing work is priced on value with 65% plan review. Electrical permits are not: L&I does not list Covington among the cities that run their own electrical programs, and the City’s solar handout tells installers to get the electrical permit from L&I. Statewide registration and trade certificate rules are in our Washington contractor and trade licensing notes.

How to apply for a Covington building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The City lists the things that set the pace: how complete the plans are, whether the submittal has everything required, how quickly the contact person answers review comments, the reviewers’ workload and the type of review. Under the residential application, an application that has not produced a permit within 180 days of filing is treated as abandoned. Work may not start before the permit is issued and on site, and extra review rounds are billed at $196.

Inspections in Covington

Book inspections in Citizens Connect by choosing “Request Inspection”. Requests received by 3 p.m. go on the next business day’s schedule, or the next open date if it is full. Inspectors work Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3 p.m.; you can add a preferred time in the comments, but the City does not promise it. For some permits the City offers virtual video inspections, with a separate guide for preparing them.

A reinspection costs $196 when earlier corrections are not done, the site is closed or the approved plans are not on site, and an inspection outside business hours starts at $394. Final occupancy depends on site, trade and fire approvals being signed off, and L&I’s electrical final comes from its own inspector. Building work is allowed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and federal holidays.

Covington permit search and official resources

Applicants track active permits in Citizens Connect. Copies of older permits and plans are requested through the City’s public records page, and permit-related notices of application and decision are posted on the Community Development notices page. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Covington among National Flood Insurance Program participants, on flood maps effective August 19, 2020.

• Covington Permit Services: hours, contacts, Citizens Connect
• Citizens Connect permit portal
• Permit fees page
• 2026 fee table, amended May 2026 (PDF)
• Building forms, checklists and handouts
• Covington permit FAQs
• CMC 15.05.070: building code adoption and shed exemption
• CMC 15.05.080: residential code, deck and solar exemptions
• Inspection scheduling handout (PDF)
• Ordinance 09-2026, battery storage moratorium renewal (PDF)
• L&I list of cities with their own electrical permits

Covington building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Covington?

The Community Development Department’s Permit Services team at City Hall, 16720 SE 271st Street, Suite 100. Applications go through Citizens Connect.

How much is a building permit for a $60,000 remodel?

The building permit fee is $1,035 and plan review is $672.75 under the 2026 schedule, plus the $50 technology fee and any trade or review charges.

Do I need a permit for a deck?

Not for a detached deck of 200 sq ft or less that is no more than 30 inches above grade and does not serve a required exit, or for any deck no more than 18 inches above grade.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

At a house, a one-story shed up to 200 sq ft is exempt from a building permit; under the building code the limit is 120 sq ft. Setbacks and impervious surface limits still apply.

Do rooftop solar panels need a building permit?

Not on a one- or two-family house when the panels weigh no more than 4 pounds per sq ft and sit no more than 18 inches above the roof. The electrical permit still comes from L&I.

Can I walk in without an appointment?

The City asks for appointments for in-person or Teams meetings and says walk-ins are not guaranteed. Most permits can be filed on Citizens Connect without one.

Can Covington accept a battery storage project?

Not while the moratorium lasts: Ordinance 09-2026 renews it for six months from its November 7, 2026 effective date, unless the Council ends it sooner.

Simplify Covington permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Washington. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Covington permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.