Do I need a permit for window or exterior door replacement in Unincorporated DeKalb County?

It depends. Whether window or exterior door replacement needs a permit in Unincorporated DeKalb County 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. DeKalb's permit exception in Code Sec. 7-30(b) covers only ordinary repairs to a single-family home with a wholesale cost of $3,000 or less, and ordinary repairs are defined as nonstructural work that does not include replacements or alterations. Changing an opening size or header is structural work that needs a permit. The county's permit guide states that projects in a DeKalb historic district need a Certificate of Appropriateness to confirm the work is consistent with historic guidelines. Call Planning at 404-371-2155 to confirm whether the property is in a district.