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

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

Under NCGS 160D-1110, a simple like-for-like window or door swap in a one- or two-family dwelling that costs $40,000 or less and does not affect structure, egress, or life safety can fall under the minor-work exemption, but the moment you resize an opening, alter a header, or change an egress window a permit is required. The exemption does not cover any structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work associated with the change. Guilford County's own permitting office is the Guilford County Inspections Department, reachable on 336-641-3707 at https://www.guilfordcountync.gov/government/departments-and-agencies/inspections. Its online permit portal is https://citizenaccess.guilfordcountync.gov/energov_prod/selfservice#/home. It issues permits for the unincorporated county. If your city does not run its own building department, this is the office that will handle the job, and that is more common in North Carolina than most states: the county is often the building authority even inside city limits, with the city handling only zoning. 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. NCGS 160D-1110(c)(1) says no permit is required to replace windows or doors in a single-family home when the work costs $40,000 or less, but adding, repairing, or replacing load-bearing structure, such as a new or wider header, is outside that exemption. Resized openings are permitted as an alteration, and Guilford County's alteration plan checklist asks for window and door sizes, locations, and glazing U-factor. Guilford County Inspections permits and inspects all unincorporated addresses, and by contract also Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden, Sedalia, Stokesdale, Summerfield, Whitsett, and the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority. Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Sedalia, Summerfield, Whitsett, and PTAA addresses need a town Development Clearance Certificate before applying.