Concrete Driveways & Sidewalks in Covington, WA

Driveways & sidewalks in Covington: what to know

Many Covington driveways date from the plats of the 1960s onward, such as Aqua Vista Estates in 1961 and Suncrest Park in 1963. The city’s code treats the connection to the street as a separate item: creating, widening, or replacing a driveway connection, curb cut, or concrete apron takes a right-of-way use permit that Community Development reviews with Public Works.

The private side has its own ceiling. The zoning table caps impervious surface at 55 percent of the lot in R-4, 70 percent in R-6, and 75 percent in R-8, so a wider driveway has to fit alongside the house, patio, and shed. The grading code exempts maintaining an existing driveway within its existing road prism. A wider footprint is a different question.

Permits and rules in Covington

Community Development issues the right-of-way use permit and inspects the work, and its application asks for a scale drawing of the existing and proposed curbs, gutters, and utilities. Drainage review can follow when a city permit is involved and 2,000 square feet or more of impervious surface is added or replaced. Before we price a job, we confirm with Community Development whether your replacement counts as a change to the street connection.

Rules change and vary by parcel, so we confirm the current requirements with the city before we start.

How we approach it

Find out whether the apron and curb cut fall under a right-of-way use permit
Tally house, drive, patio, and shed area against the zone’s impervious cap
Draw the sidewalk, curb, and utilities to scale before forming the apron
Probe the low corner for wet, perched winter water before setting the base

For the full process, see our Concrete Driveways & Sidewalks page.

Building in the cold months? See our guide to winter concrete pours.

Our driveways & sidewalks work, serving Covington

Examples of our work. We build driveways & sidewalks in Covington and the cities around it. See all of our work

Questions from Covington homeowners

Do I need a city permit to replace my Covington driveway apron?

Yes, if the work touches the street connection. Covington requires a right-of-way use permit to create, change, or replace a driveway connection, curb cut, or concrete apron. Community Development reviews it with Public Works. Slab on your own lot is a separate question we confirm first.

Who pays for a cracked sidewalk in front of my Covington house?

Under the city code, the adjoining owner handles and pays for sidewalk repairs that the Public Works Department requires once it finds a walk unfit for public use. Because the sidewalk is public right-of-way, repairs also go through the permit process.

How much of my Covington lot can be concrete?

It depends on your zone. The city’s table caps impervious surface at 55 percent in R-4, 70 percent in R-6, and 75 percent in R-8, and roofs and drives generally count. We total your lot’s surfaces before drawing a wider driveway.