Do I need a permit for window or exterior door replacement in Decatur?

It depends. Whether window or exterior door replacement needs a permit in Decatur comes down to the details of your project.

Like-for-like replacement in an existing opening is often permitted more simply, but changing the opening size, adding a header, or altering egress typically requires a permit and plan detail. Bedroom windows must still meet IRC emergency escape and rescue (egress) sizing when replaced. DeKalb County's own permitting office is the DeKalb County Planning and Sustainability, reachable on 404-371-2155 at https://dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/planning-and-sustainability/permits-plan-review-and-inspections. Its online permit portal is https://epermits.dekalbcountyga.gov/. It issues permits for the unincorporated county. If your city does not run its own building department, and many smaller Georgia municipalities do not, this is the office that will handle the job. Ask whether a like-for-like swap is exempt at your address, since changing the size of an opening is structural work and is treated differently. Under Decatur UDO Sec. 10.1.1(B)(2), ordinary minor repairs and maintenance valued under $1,000 may be done without a permit with the building official's approval. Work valued at $1,000 or more, or any structural work such as changing an opening, needs a building permit. That under-$1,000 allowance does not apply in a local historic district, where any work needs historic review. Decatur's five local historic districts are MAK (McDonough-Adams-Kings Highway), Clairemont Avenue, Ponce de Leon Court, Parkwood, and Old Decatur.