Layton Utah Temple

Russell M. Nelson, president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced that a temple will be built in Layton, Utah, during the Sunday afternoon session of the 188th annual general conference in April 2018. Plans called for a three-story temple of more than 87,000 square feet.

The Layton Utah Temple is built on an 11.8-acre site located at the corner of Oak Hills Drive and Rosewood Lane on the southeast side of Layton City, about 25 miles north of Salt Lake City, Utah. The city of Layton is located in Davis County, a growing region of Northern Utah where members are organized into 64 stakes. The Church had announced that the Utah Salt Lake City Mission would be reorganized as the Utah Layton Mission. The property for the temple was acquired by the Church on Friday, 30 March 2018, two days before the temple was announced.

The Layton Utah Temple is the twenty-second temple built in Utah and the second temple built in Davis County, following the Bountiful Utah Temple (1995). The Layton Utah Temple is the 195th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Inspired by traditional Latter-day Saint and other religious architecture, the Layton Temple includes design motifs that were influenced by the agricultural heritage of the Layton City area. The structure’s exterior consists of precast concrete panels over a structural steel frame and cast-in-place concrete shear walls. Interior and exterior motifs feature seedlings, leafy branches and cherry blossoms. A Tiffany art glass piece that dates to 1915 can be found on the second floor. The piece, entitled “The Resurrection,” was purchased from a United Presbyterian Church in Armenia, New York, which was torn down in 2015.

Small-Scale Groundbreaking Ceremony Conducted

Irene Caso, spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made the following statement in response to media inquiries regarding the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Layton Utah Temple. she said:

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the need to limit public gatherings, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints determined a traditional groundbreaking for the Layton Utah Temple, with invited guests, was not prudent. The First Presidency assigned the Utah Area Presidency to conduct a small-scale groundbreaking, held Saturday, 23 May 2020, so that construction could proceed.

Elder Craig C. Christensen presided at the ceremony.

Latter-day Saints and friends in the community were invited to view a recording of the proceedings that was made available online the following week at the official Newsroom website.

Open House

Prior to the dedication, a public open house began Friday, April 19, and continued through Saturday, June 1, 2024, excluding Sundays. A media day was held on Monday, April 15, 2024, while invited guests toured the temple Tuesday, April 16, through Thursday, April 18, 2024.

Dedication

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Layton Utah Temple on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

The Apostle was accompanied at the dedication by his wife, Sister Susan Bednar; Elder Brian K. Taylor, General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the Utah Area presidency; his wife, Sister Jill Taylor; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department; and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan. The temple was dedicated in two sessions held at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. MDT.

The dedicatory sessions were broadcast to all congregations in the Layton Utah Temple district. The temple was one of two temples dedicated on Sunday. Fellow Apostle Elder D. Todd Christofferson dedicated the Salta Argentina Temple three hours before the Layton Temple dedication.