So true. You need permits for everything and there's a limited list of what you can and cannot use.
My son was going to build on a lot in San Rafael. He spent thousands and never got to the building stage. He gave up and sold the lot. In Marin County, another son has a house with redwood plywood siding. He needs to replace two panels and the county wants him to get a permit to do it. It's removing two panels and replacing them with identical panels. Nothing structural involved at all. It's just another way for the county to get money.
You'd need a permit for that virtually anywhere.