The bags of ads sometimes left on public streets and private lawns would be considered litter, and their distributors subject to fines, under legislation that got its initial approval from Pittsburgh City Council today.

Councilman Jim Motznik, who sponsored the legislation, led off the discussion by dumping a sack of handbills on the council table.

"It's called litter. That's what it is, it's litter," he said. "We need to legally call it litter."

It is also a form of speech, protected by the First Amendment, noted city attorney Yvonne Hilton, so government can't ban it -- but it can regulate the method of distribution.

"You're just not entitled to put it in a way that causes a mess," she said.

The legislation allows people or companies to put "handbills" on porches or stoops. It allows property owners to post "no handbills" signs that would then bar companies from putting their ads there.

The penalty per violation is $15.