Published
Class I and Class II permits: Ashton's two-track city application
Two forms, two doors
Ashton’s city counter sorts applications into two tracks, and the city posts the two forms side by side. The short one — the Class I permit — is a single page covering routine approvals. The long one — the Class II permit — is the hearing track, and its first instruction is the most important sentence on either form:
“Applicants should read and understand all relevant portions of the City of Ashton Development Code before filing an application.”
— City of Ashton Class II Permit application. Retrieved 21 October 2026
Side by side, the two tracks look like this:
| Class I permit | Class II permit | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | One page | Full application with plans |
| Covers | Building, fence, sign, commercial use, industry use, home business, lot split, change of use, other | Developments needing a hearing under the Development Code |
| Hearing | None printed on the form | Hearing date, published notice, and site posting all tracked on the form |
| Fee line | Blank on the form | Blank on the form, non-refundable |
| Life of the permit | Expires if the activity is abandoned | Expires in one year unless commenced and pursued |
| Conditions | Signature acknowledges prior permit conditions | Conditions bind future Class II permits on the site |
What the Class I form covers
The one-pager opens with a purposes grid — check the box, fill the blank. The printed categories:
| Class I purpose | What it means on the ground |
|---|---|
| Building | The form asks for type and size |
| Fence | Fence work on a city lot |
| Sign | Signage |
| Commercial use | Putting property to business use |
| Industry use | Industrial use of property |
| Home business | A business run from the property, with its own question block |
| Lot split | Dividing a lot, with a tax-status check |
| Change of use | Same buildings, new use |
| Other | Anything the grid does not name |
Then the numbered questions start, and they are short and pointed:
“2. Is this a change from existing property use? Yes No…3. Did you recently purchase this property? Yes No”
— City of Ashton Class I Permit form, numbered questions. Retrieved 21 October 2026
Question 4 is for lot splits only, and it is the one place a county office appears on the city form: “Are the property taxes current and paid to date? Yes No Verification must be made by the County Treasurer.” A city lot split does not leave the county’s tax ledger behind — the form makes the Treasurer’s initials part of the file.
The home-business questions
A home business on the Class I form gets its own block, and the questions tell you exactly what the city is weighing — traffic, jobs, and loading:
“What type of Home Business/Occupation will this be? Please describe.…What type of traffic will this generate?…How many employees will be working in this business?…Can you provide parking and unloading areas for your business? Yes No”
— City of Ashton Class I Permit form, home occupation block. Retrieved 21 October 2026
Anyone planning an office, workshop, or studio inside a new Ashton build should draft those four answers before the foundation drawing — they decide whether the use fits the one-page track at all.
The Class II track: describe it, prove it
The Class II application asks for more than boxes. Its core demand comes in two lines:
“Describe the development for which a permit is requested (attach as many additional sheets as needed):…Plans sufficient to demonstrate compliance with all requirements of the City of Ashton Development Code”
— City of Ashton Class II Permit application. Retrieved 21 October 2026
That second line is the real bar: not a sketch, but plans “sufficient to demonstrate compliance” with the city’s own development code. And the fee line sits right above the file-reference block: “Applicant is to complete un-shaded areas only. A non-refundable Application Fee of $” — the amount is blank on the posted form. The number lives at the city office, (208) 652-3987, and it is non-refundable once filed, which is a reason to have the description and plans right the first time.
The two rules that follow the land
Two clauses on the Class II form outlive the application itself. The first makes conditions attach to the ground, not the applicant:
“Note that conditions attached to the approval of a Class II Permit will be binding on future Class II Permits issued on the site.”
— City of Ashton Class II Permit application. Retrieved 21 October 2026
The second is the clock:
“Unless extended by an approved development agreement, this permit expires in one year if the activity authorized is not commenced and diligently pursued toward completion OR if the activity is commenced but abandoned for one year at any time before completion.”
— City of Ashton Class II Permit application. Retrieved 21 October 2026
The Class I form carries its own version of the clock, worded a shade differently: “This permit expires in one year if the activity is commenced but abandoned for more than one year at any time before completion.” Read the two together and the practical rule is the same for both tracks — a permit in a drawer is a permit dying — but the Class II wording is the stricter one, because it kills the permit even before work starts. The Class I signature block also acknowledges compliance with conditions from previous permits affecting the site, so the paper trail on a lot is worth reading before you own it.
What the form says a hearing involves
The bottom half of the Class II application is a processing grid the city fills in: date of hearing, notice published, site posted, and the decision line — “PERMIT APPROVED: ( ) PERMIT DENIED ( )”. The form itself, in other words, is built around a public process, not a counter stamp. That matches what this site has documented about how the city’s planning docket runs, and it is why the city’s building permit form and this hearing application are different papers for different questions.
Not the county’s Class I and Class II
One disambiguation that saves real confusion: Fremont County also uses Class I and Class II permit language, for county-jurisdiction building outside city limits. Same vocabulary, different government, different forms, different fees. The city forms on this page are Ashton’s own, posted on the city’s website; the county’s building permit track is a separate subject this site covers where the county permit is walked in full. Whose jurisdiction a parcel sits in is the first question, and the answer decides which of those pages applies to your lot.
Pick the right track, in order
- Confirm the parcel is inside Ashton city limits — city forms only apply if it is.
- Match the project to the grid: building, fence, sign, or home business questions point to Class I; anything needing a hearing under the development code is Class II.
- Before filing Class II, read the relevant portions of the City of Ashton Development Code — the form’s own first instruction — and bring plans sufficient to show compliance.
- Call the city office, (208) 652-3987, for the current fee amount and filing details; neither form prints a dollar figure, and the Class II fee is non-refundable.
- Note the one-year clock the day a permit issues, and read the conditions into the build schedule the same week.
- Bring us the project and the lot — we file and sequence city permits as part of the build: (208) 656-1516.
Two forms, two doors — and knowing which one your project walks through is the difference between a counter visit and a hearing calendar.
Common questions
What is a Class I permit in Ashton, Idaho?
The City of Ashton's one-page permit form covering building, fence, sign, commercial use, industry use, home business, lot split, and change of use items. It asks whether the use is changing and whether the property was recently purchased, and for lot splits it requires verification from the County Treasurer that taxes are current.
What is a Class II permit in Ashton?
The city's hearing-track application under the City of Ashton Development Code. The applicant describes the development and submits plans sufficient to demonstrate compliance with the code, the application fee is non-refundable, the permit expires in one year unless the work is commenced and diligently pursued, and conditions attached to its approval bind future Class II permits on the site.
How much does an Ashton city permit cost?
The posted forms print no dollar amount - the Class II application shows a blank after the fee line and the Class I form leaves the filing fee blank. Current amounts come from the city office at (208) 652-3987, and the Class II application fee is non-refundable once filed.
Is the city's Class I and Class II the same as Fremont County's?
No. The county uses its own Class I and Class II permit categories for building outside city limits, with its own forms and fees. The Ashton forms are the city's, posted on the city website, and apply only inside city limits. Which jurisdiction a parcel sits in decides which track applies.
What does Ashton ask about home businesses on the permit form?
Four direct questions: what type of home business or occupation it will be, what type of traffic it will generate, how many employees will be working in the business, and whether parking and unloading areas can be provided.
If I buy an Ashton lot that had a Class II permit, do the old conditions bind my project?
Yes, if you file a new Class II permit on the site - the form states that conditions attached to the approval of a Class II permit are binding on future Class II permits issued there. Ask the city for the permit file on the lot before closing so the conditions are priced into the project, not discovered after.