Covington, Georgia

Water Damage in Covington, Where the City Runs the Utilities

Covington has a NOAA weather station of its own, and a wet late winter shows up in its records every year. When water gets into a home here, the first question is often which city office to ask, since the city runs gas, electric, water and sewer. Flooded basement and crawl space calls are one place that question comes up. Own a Covington property and have a question? Call (678) 940-8196.

Call (678) 940-8196

Fig. 1Street of brick-front houses with garages and tall pines in Conyers, Georgia

Rain and cold

The NOAA station in Covington reports 50.50 inches of rain a year for 1991-2020, with 5.10 inches in March and 2.93 in May. It logs 62.3 days a year on which the low is 32 F or colder, and 15.7 of those fall in December. Roofs and pipes meet wet months and freezing months alike. These are 30-year averages, not forecasts, and conditions may differ at your address.

Who to ask in town

Three numbers matter in the City of Covington: 770-385-2046 and 770-385-2021 for the building permit staff, and 770-385-2020 for planning and development. City Hall: 2194 Emory Street NW. The city's construction codes page names the 2024 International Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes, all with Georgia amendments, plus the 2023 National Electrical Code with the 2026 Georgia amendments.

The page states no permit rules and lists no hours. Before walls or floors come out, ask the desk what the repair needs. An address just outside the city line may belong to Newton County instead, so confirm which side of the line you are on.

Water, soil and housing

Old blocks, new subdivisions and one city water desk

University of Georgia Extension says clay soil has the highest water-holding capacity of any soil type and stays wet for a long time compared with sandy or loamy soil. That applies only where a yard is clay, and the article does not describe Covington soil. It does say downspouts, clogged gutters and air conditioner condensate need to drain away from the foundation.

The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates count 6,217 homes in the City of Covington, give or take 485. About 30 percent went up between 2000 and 2009, and roughly 10 percent date from 1949 or earlier. The median year built is 1989, but the margin is 8 years, so treat it loosely. Roughly 51 percent of occupied homes are rented. With ages that mixed, one street can hold houses with very different plumbing.

The city's water resources department covers drinking water and sewer, and 770-385-2000 is the only number its utilities page shows. Before a repair starts, ask the city where your part of a line ends and the city's begins.

Local tips

Covington Utilities handles natural gas, electric, water and sewer. The only phone number its page shows is 770-385-2000, and there is no after-hours line, so save it before you need it.
On the city's home page there is a MyCovington notification app, plus an outage map. The page does not say which alerts the app sends, so read the app's help before relying on it.
The NAIC suggests a walk-through of every room, recording your belongings on video, for homeowners claims. Georgia's insurance commissioner adds a request for receipts on temporary repairs.
Ask the building desk, 770-385-2046 or 770-385-2021, whether swapping out wet drywall or a water heater calls for a permit, going by the 2024 codes the city lists.
When a floor will not dry or a stain keeps spreading in a Covington home you own or manage, call (678) 940-8196. Renters talk to the landlord before anyone else.

Neighborhoods

Sourceschecked 1 Nov 2026