City landlords, already facing a coming registration requirement, may soon have to tell their tenants to follow the rules when they take out the trash.

Pittsburgh Councilman Bruce Kraus said yesterday that he would propose legislation compelling city landlords to prove that their tenants have seen the city code provisions on when and how garbage should hit the curb.

"The No. 1 complaint that I've received since coming into office is the improper disposal of trash," Mr. Kraus said, "whether it's that one's trash is put out too early, not properly bagged or stored on a public sidewalk at all times. The mishandling of refuse leads to problems with rodents."

It may be a question of tenants not knowing the rules, he said. So he wants landlords to have their tenants initial a form that details the codes -- trash must be in plastic bags, which can be in trash cans no larger than 35 gallons, and must be put out between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., with recyclables collected every other week. Landlords would then turn the forms in with their new rental registrations, likely due April 1.

Tenants of buildings with six or more units wouldn't need to sign, because private haulers collect their trash.

Council yesterday gave final approval to legislation giving the city until Dec. 1 to put in place the new rental registration system. Landlords would then have until April 1 to register and pay a $12-per-unit fee. Failure to properly register a rented unit could result in a $1,000-per-month fine.

The city missed an earlier deadline to implement a licensing and registration ordinance passed by council in December and signed by the mayor in January. At this time, the city is not ready to receive landlord registrations.

In other matters, council gave final approval to a $200,000 allocation to pay for the new Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime, and to a $425,000 settlement with Norfolk Southern Railway Co. for landslide-related damage to its tracks above Corfu Street in Elliott.