A united Pittsburgh City Council demanded a halt yesterday to proposed new billboards, giving itself six months to craft new rules for electronic signs.

"This is merely about taking a break, if you will, so we can catch up with the new technologies that are emerging today," said Councilman Bruce Kraus, author of the legislation, which now goes to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl for approval or a veto. "I want it to be an open, honest dialogue between all advertising companies and the city of Pittsburgh."

The legislation, unanimously passed, has no effect on a controversial permit to place a 1,200-square-foot, electronic sign on the new Grant Street Transportation Center. That is the subject of an appeal to be heard by the Zoning Board of Adjustment on April 10.

Mr. Kraus said, however, it should halt the progress on most of the 58 applications for new or modernized signs filed by Lamar Advertising, Liberty Pacific Media Inc. and U.S. Outdoor Advertising Inc. since March 12, when council announced separate legislation to require a public vote on new billboards. The applications were timed so they wouldn't be subject to the proposed public votes.

Originally 65 applications were filed, but seven of Lamar's were found to be duplicates.

A fraction of the applications may proceed, because the moratorium doesn't cover city zones in which signs are explicitly permitted without public votes. Mr. Kraus said he believes that 15 of the billboards Lamar wants to change from vinyl to digital may be in such zones, though some may be precluded by other code rules limiting the density, size and height of signs, or by a 2007 court decision on digital signs in Monroeville.

Councilman William Peduto called on the sign firms to withdraw their permit applications. He said he would contact Lamar's Louisiana corporate office to make that demand.

"I would prefer to work with a company that preferred to follow the law and work with the community rather than one that tries to ram things through without public process," he said.

A Lamar executive could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Ravenstahl's administration would not immediately say whether he will sign and enforce the moratorium.

Billboards have become a flashpoint for tensions between the mayor and some on council, since a majority of members challenged the legality of the Grant Street sign permit. The administration has argued that it has the right to permit single electronic billboards in return for the removal of multiple vinyl signs, without triggering code requirements for public hearings and votes.

Councilman Jim Motznik said he hopes new rules will explicitly allow vinyl-for-digital swaps.