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

Rules another office applies inside Covington Township

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

• Building permitRequired

  Construction inside Covington township, which is in Washington County, Illinois; the county zoning office states the rule for all construction in the county

  • Stated by the Washington County zoning office for all construction in the county, including agricultural buildings
  • Municipal rules (for example, Nashville) may differ for land inside city limits or in the city's subdivision area
  • The county flyer says the zoning office issues building permits for any construction and charges a fee for construction over 150 square feet

  zoning building permit fee: 100 USD (construction over 150 square feet)

  “all construction in washington county requires a building permit including agricultural buildings!”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts in Washington County, Illinois, where county zoning governs land inside Covington township

  • The flyer names only the three most common districts: AG, R-1 (rural residential) and R-2 (urban residential)
  • The full district list is in the county Revised Zoning Ordinance, which was not opened on an official page

  “the three most common districts and their minimum lot sizes are: ag-40 acres, r-1 (rural residential) 2 acres, and r-2 (urban residential) 1 acre.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AG (agricultural) district lots in Washington County, Illinois, where county zoning governs land inside Covington township (township zoning not established)

  • Per the county flyer, a lot in an ag district divided below 40 acres generally needs rezoning (usually to R-1 or R-2) before construction is allowed
  • Exception: an existing homesite that has existed since 1980 may be separated and built on without rezoning
  • Exception: a buyer who is agriculturally exempt (actively engaged in agriculture and owns at least 40 acres)
  • Lots under 40 acres in an ag district created before county zoning in 1980 are treated as grandfathered
  • The county flyer is not the ordinance text; the ordinance was not opened

  minimum lot size, AG district: >= 40 acres (exceptions listed in conditions)

  “the three most common districts and their minimum lot sizes are: ag-40 acres, r-1 (rural residential) 2 acres, and r-2 (urban residential) 1 acre.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 (rural residential) district lots in Washington County, Illinois, where county zoning governs land inside Covington township (township zoning not established)

    “the three most common districts and their minimum lot sizes are: ag-40 acres, r-1 (rural residential) 2 acres, and r-2 (urban residential) 1 acre.”

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-2 (urban residential) district lots in Washington County, Illinois, where county zoning governs land inside Covington township (township zoning not established)

    “the three most common districts and their minimum lot sizes are: ag-40 acres, r-1 (rural residential) 2 acres, and r-2 (urban residential) 1 acre.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems (septic tanks, seepage fields) installed inside Covington township, Washington County, Illinois

  • IDPH regulates installation of systems with no surface discharge and systems discharging treated effluent up to 1,500 gallons per day to the ground surface
  • About 90 Illinois local health agencies also review sewage system construction plans, either under a local ordinance or as an agent of IDPH
  • Whether the Washington County Health Department reviews septic plans inside Covington township is not confirmed on an official page; a non-official 211 listing names its Environmental Services division as handling private sewage disposal

  “there are about 90 local health agencies in illinois that also review sewage disposal system construction plans, either by authority of a local ordinance or as an "agent" of the department.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Land in Washington County, Illinois, including inside Covington township, for zoning division or construction in an ag district

  • Exemption applies to a buyer who is actively engaged in agriculture and owns at least 40 acres, per the zoning office flyer
  • The flyer describes this as an exception to the rezoning process for lots below 40 acres; it does not say it removes the building permit requirement

  “another exception to this process is if the buyer, the one building on the property is agriculturally exempt (actively engaged in agriculture and owns at least 40 acres).”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning building permit fees for construction in Washington County, Illinois, including inside Covington township

  • Fee is charged for construction over 150 square feet, per the flyer
  • Rezoning map amendment costs about $150 in total and can take up to 8 weeks, per the flyer; not a permit fee
  • Fee schedule was taken from a county flyer, not an adopted fee ordinance; not opened

  zoning building permit fee: 100 USD (construction over 150 square feet)

  “a fee of $100 is charged if over 150 square feet.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and building permit process for construction in Washington County, Illinois, including inside Covington township

  • Before a permit is issued, the zoning of the property and the rules for its district are examined
  • Rezoning requires a completed application, a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting (usually 4th Thursday), and final county board approval
  • Zoning office: 125 W. St. Louis St., Nashville, IL; 618-327-4800 ext. 345; Tue 8am-12pm and Thu 8am-4pm or by appointment, per the flyer
  • Process is only partly published: no permit application form or inspection steps were found on the official pages

  “before a permit can be issued, the zoning of specific property and the rules that apply to the district of that zoning are examined.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits or licensing inside Covington township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Covington township, Washington County, Illinois
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Covington township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new homes inside Covington township
• Local zoning — Whether Covington township, Washington County, Illinois adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

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.