G.S. 160D-1110(a) requires all permits under the North Carolina State Building Code before construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, removal or demolition of any building or structure. But G.S. 160D-1110(c): 'No permit issued under Article 9 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration costing forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or less and performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code in any single-family residence, farm building, or commercial building' unless the work involves one of six listed items - and within the first of those, the statute expressly states: 'no permit is required for replacement of windows, doors, exterior siding, or the pickets, railings, stair treads, and decking of porches and exterior decks that otherwise meet the requirements of this subsection.'