A federal judge ordered a two-month delay for a Portland ordinance that would require warnings in buildings vulnerable to earthquakes while the City Council considers a replacement ordinance.

The ordinance was set to take effect on March 1, but Judge John Acosta placed an injunction that would preclude it from taking effect until May 1. He’s expected to hear arguments the week before the injunction expires in a lawsuit over the new rules filed against the city by the owners of such buildings.

A hearing was set for next week, but attorneys for the city said Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty planned to propose a replacement ordinance that would delay the placarding requirement until next year. Hardesty has said the Portland Fire Bureau, which she oversees, will not enforce the ordinance.

In addition to the lawsuit, the ordinance has drawn opposition from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which said it would promote displacement in historically black sections of North and Northeast Portland. A coalition of performance venues in unreinforced brick buildings also opposes the policy.

Acosta said there was little point in holding a hearing over an ordinance that’s likely to change and that the two-month stay would allow the city time to approve the replacement ordinance.

The City Council passed the ordinance in October. It would require owners of brick and similar buildings to prominently post signs with the disclosure: “This is an unreinforced masonry building. Unreinforced masonry buildings may be unsafe in the event of a major earthquake.”

The same warning must be distributed to tenants of the building under the rule.

The suing building owners argue the ordinance violates their First Amendment rights by compelling them to display a government message. They also argue the city had applied the mandate unequally by setting a longer timeline for buildings owned by nonprofits.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; @enjus

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.