Judge strikes down Helena's city fire code

A district judge has ruled invalid the fire ordinance of Helena, Mont., adopted in 2008 to restrict exposed wood building materials and require fire-resistance roofing materials on new or extensively repaired structures. In a court case the city brought against a homeowner, the judge ruled that the city had no authority to enact the building regulations as part of its establishment of a citywide wildland-urban interface district. The city will likely appeal the matter to the Montana Supreme Court.