Layton, UT Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

020 makes it unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle with a Dynamic Braking Device engaged anywhere within Layton City limits, except for the aversion of imminent danger. 010 defines a Dynamic Braking Device, commonly called a jacobs brake, engine brake or compression brake, as a device used primarily on trucks to convert the engine from an internal combustion engine into an air compressor for braking, letting a truck slow down without relying on its wheel brakes. Unlike ordinances that only restrict engine braking on signed stretches of road, Layton's ban is citywide by its own text, not limited to particular streets or approaches.

The chapter was originally enacted by Ordinance 922 on May 2, 1991, recodified by Ordinance 97-35 in 1997, and amended by Ordinance 04-11 on January 15, 2004. 080. The imminent-danger exception is narrow and functions as an affirmative defense a driver would have to raise, not a blanket allowance for routine engine braking on hills or approaches to intersections.