Ogden, UT Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Ogden City Code § 12-14-6C requires that any motor vehicle's exhaust system be free from defects affecting sound reduction, equipped with a muffler or other noise-dissipative device, and not fitted with a cutout, bypass, or similar device that would let exhaust noise escape unmuffled. and drop to 80 dBA overnight, same 25-foot measuring distance. These decibel limits apply to all noise from the vehicle and its equipment under any driving condition, acceleration, deceleration, idle, grade, or load. Vehicle stereo noise is addressed separately under § 12-14-6D2: operating a sound amplification device inside a vehicle parked or driven on a public street is unlawful if it is clearly audible, or its vibration is noticeable, 30 feet from the vehicle, or at all inside another vehicle whose doors and windows are closed.

Section 12-14-6A also bars sounding a horn for an unreasonable period or in an unreasonably loud manner except as a genuine danger signal. Enforcement sits with § 12-14-10: any violation of Chapter 12-14, including the muffler and vehicle-noise provisions, is a class B misdemeanor under Title 1, Chapter 4, and the city may also pursue the underlying noise as a public nuisance subject to abatement independent of the criminal charge. Any peace officer may enforce the chapter, and the mayor may deputize other city employees to do the same. The sound's content is never a defense; only whether it crosses the audibility or decibel threshold matters.