COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO
ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL
ITEM
SUBJECT: MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT NUMBER
0200-2
EFFECTIVE DATE: MARCH 4, 2011 PAGE 1 OF 3
Purpose
To provide guidelines and standard forms for administration of expense reimbursement for use
of an employee’s vehicle on authorized County business (“mileage”). To provide a framework
for departments in establishing their own policy for controlling mileage cost.
Note: Policies for reimbursement of mileage related to out-of-County travel is contained in
Administrative Manual section 0200-01.
Background
The authority for reimbursement for private mileage is contained in the County Charter (Section
913) and the Administrative Code (Section 472, 474 and 475). The Auditor and Controller has
issued rules and instructions relative to claiming practices and procedures (see Mileage Report
for Reimbursement for Use of Private Conveyance, Form 277-A located at http://cww.co.san-
diego.ca.us/ac/docs/mileage.pdf.
Basic policy for administration of mileage reimbursement has been left to the discretion of the
department heads. This policy statement is intended to assist departments in formulating
policies which are consistent with a Countywide general standard, but tailored to the unique
circumstances of the individual departments. It is also intended to ensure that the County’s
liability arising from use of private vehicles is minimized.
Departmental Policies
When a department establishes a new policy or practice for mileage, or makes a significant
change in existing policy or practices, the guidelines set forth below shall be applied:
1. Proposed policies must be examined for effects on wages, hours, terms or conditions of
employment. The department will contact the Labor Relations Manager, who must then
offer the appropriate employee organization an opportunity to meet and confer prior to
implementing such policies. County Counsel should be consulted to determine the need
and procedure for this process. No new or revised policies shall be implemented
contrary to any provisions of an applicable labor memorandum of agreement. The
proposed policies should also be examined by the Risk Manager to ensure that there is
no increased liability to the County.
2. Whenever unique circumstances make it desirable to pay mileage for travel, which is not
clearly authorized within the existing Administrative Code or amendments to applicable
rules, regulations, policies and procedures, County Counsel must be consulted to
determine whether proper authority exists for approving such travel.
3. The Auditor and Controller will prepare and maintain comprehensive rules and
instructions regarding the preparation, supervisory review and approval, filing and
retention of the claim forms related to mileage reimbursement. Claims not satisfying the
requirements of these rules and instructions may be considered invalid and subject to
disallowance.
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO
ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL
ITEM
SUBJECT: MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT NUMBER
0200-2
EFFECTIVE DATE: MARCH 4, 2011 PAGE 2 OF 3
Guidelines
The following guidelines shall be applied to the administration of mileage reimbursement, unless
other provisions of law or County policy indicate otherwise.
1. Under provisions of Administrative Code Section 475, an employee authorized to use
private vehicles on County business must maintain a valid California driver license for
the type of vehicle operated. No motorcycles, mopeds or bicycles shall be permitted to
be used as a mileage reimbursed vehicle. The employee will maintain at least the
minimum vehicle liability insurance required by State law. As a record of this,
department heads will utilize Form DHR 126 “Authorization to Drive a Vehicle on County
Business.” http://cwss/sites/DHR/Forms_DHR/Authorization_to_Drive_Form.xls.
2. Assignment of a headquarters location is at the discretion of the department head. Such
assignment should be based on a logical and supportable rationale. The common
meaning of “headquarters” implies a location through which one normally receives
supervision and/or administrative support. Changes in assignment of headquarters
should not normally be made for duty assignments of a temporary nature. An
assignment of less than one month’s expected duration should be considered
temporary. An assignment expected to exceed one month should be considered
permanent.
3. Payment may be made only for travel on County business. This includes duties
assigned by the appointing authority or otherwise mandated by law or the County (e.g.,
County-required physical exams). Functions for which “release time” is normally granted
(e.g., CPR training, optional physical exams, County job interviews, etc.) are of primary
benefit to the employee, and travel for such purposes is not reimbursable.
4. Mileage will NOT be allowed for normal commuting between home and headquarters.
However, if an employee is called back to headquarters after having gone home for the
day, or must travel to and from headquarters on a day when he/she is not normally
scheduled to work (i.e., a weekend day for most employees), the mileage for the direct
trips between headquarters and home may be allowed. Mileage may also be allowed for
trips from home to the first point of contact, and from the last point of contact to home,
not to exceed, in either case, the mileage between headquarters and such point of
contact.
5. The minimum criteria for review of mileage claims by the approving supervisor should be
established by the appointing authority and include the following:
A. Claims exceeding pre-approved authorized mileage levels should be reviewed.
B. Duplicate trips on a single day should be explained in remarks.
C. Questionable claims should be investigated to verify legitimacy before approval is
given.
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO
ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL
ITEM
SUBJECT: MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT NUMBER
0200-2
EFFECTIVE DATE: MARCH 4, 2011 PAGE 3 OF 3
6. Mileage should be claimed at intervals no greater than every four weeks. Manual claims
and other adjustments are discouraged as they are expensive to process and distort the
data used to manage the mileage program. Mileage payments from petty cash are not
authorized.
7. Any requirement to meet and confer with employee organizations concerning mileage
reimbursements will be handled through the Labor Relations Manager.
8. Department heads should attempt to provide County vehicles for employees whose duties
require more travel each month than is economical to perform with mileage
reimbursement. The Director, General Services, will keep department heads informed
regarding the criteria for assignment and the availability of County vehicles.
Reference
Administrative Code Sections 472, 474 and 475
Board of Supervisors Policy D-7
Charter Section 913
Approved
Walter F. Ekard
Chief Administrative Officer
Responsible Department(s)
Auditor and Controller
Department of Human Resources