California Code of Regulations
Title 2 - Administration
Division 1 - Administrative Personnel
Chapter 3 - Department of Human Resources
Subchapter 1 - General Civil Service Rules
Article 2 - Traveling Expenses
Section 599.626 - Transportation Expenses

Universal Citation: 2 CA Code of Regs 599.626

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024

(a) Transportation expenses consist of the charges for commercial carrier fares; private car mileage allowances; emergency repairs to state cars; overnight and day parking of state or privately-owned cars; bridge and road tolls; necessary taxi, bus, or streetcar fares; and all other charges essential to the transport from and to the official headquarters.

(b) Reimbursement will be made only for the method of transportation which is in the best interest of the state, considering both direct expense as well as the officer's or employee's time. Provided the mode of transportation selected does not conflict with the needs of the agency, the officer or employee may use a more expensive form of transportation and be reimbursed at the amount required for a less expensive mode of travel. Both modes of transportation will be shown on the travel claim with reference to this section.

(c) In any case in which reimbursement for expenses of transportation by private automobile or privately-owned airplane is claimed, the license number of the automobile or the civilian airplane license number as well as the name of each state officer, employee, or board, commission, or authority member transported on the trip shall be stated. As such reimbursement is for the expense of use of the automobile or airplane regardless of the number of persons transported, no reimbursement for such transportation shall be allowed any passenger in any automobile or airplane operated by another such officer, employee or member.

In the determination of fares or mileage paid for transportation by airplane, the point of origin or return shall be an appropriate airport facility serving the area of the employee's headquarters or residence, whichever results in the lesser distance or amount.

(d) Expenses arising from travel between home or garage and headquarters shall not be allowed. When a trip is commenced or terminated at claimant's home, the distance traveled shall be computed from either his/her headquarters or home, whichever shall result in the lesser distance. Exceptions to the above are:

(1) Where such expenses are incurred by call back for overtime work necessitating more than one trip to the work location on a normal work day or by reason of any call back on an employee's normal day off.

(2) When the headquarters of a permanent, full-time employee is located 24 or more kilometers (15 or more road miles) one way from the nearest residential area with available housing, the appointing power may authorize payment of expenses incurred by an employee in the use of a privately owned vehicle.
(A) The authorizing agency must obtain prior approval from the Department with regard to the location of the nearest residential area with available housing and amount of mileage to be paid.

(B) Reimbursement will be at the rate provided in section 599.631(b) of these regulations or the applicable provisions of a Memorandum of Understanding, as appropriate, for distance driven and authorized in accordance with this regulation and being in excess of 48 kilometers (30 miles) round trip.

(C) The term "available housing" as used in this subsection is intended to relate primarily to the quantity of housing available and not to its quality or cost.

(D) Distance will be computed from a location within the selected nearest residential area to the employee's work headquarters by the most direct road route and not the actual miles driven.

(E) If an employee's residence is not located in the designated residential area, but is more than 48 kilometers (30 miles) round trip from his/her remote location headquarters, he/she may be reimbursed for travel from his/her residence or from the selected location within the designated residential area, whichever is less.

(F) Payments will be authorized only if the appointing power has determined that the employee cannot participate in an agency sponsored car or van pool.

(G) An employee whose headquarters is designated as remote and who lives in the designated residential area who is required to report to a work site other than headquarters for a particular day, and who is required to use his/her own vehicle shall receive payment for the round trip from the designated residential area to the work site.

(H) An employee whose headquarters is designated as remote and who lives less than 24 kilometers (15 miles) from headquarters, who is required to report to a work site other than headquarters for a particular day, and who is required to use his/her own vehicle shall receive payment for the round trip from his/her own residence to the work site or his/her headquarters to the work site, whichever is less.

(I) An employee whose headquarters is designated as remote, who does not live in the designated area but lives more than 24 kilometers (15 miles) from his/her headquarters, who is required to report to a work site other than headquarters for a particular day and who is required to use his/her own vehicle shall receive payment for the actual round-trip distance by the most direct route, not to exceed:
1. the distance from the designated residential area to the work site, or

2. the distance from the employee's headquarters to the work site, whichever is greater.

(3) When travel to or from a common carrier commences or terminates one hour before or one hour after the regularly scheduled work day or on a regularly scheduled day off, distance may be computed from the employee's residence in accordance with section 599.631(c) of these regulations or the applicable provisions of a Memorandum of Understanding as appropriate.

(e) When an employee's regular work assignment requires him/her to rotate among two or more posts or work stations at different geographic locations within a metropolitan area either to protect state property or state personnel and he/she is instructed to report directly to the designated post for a full shift, distance from his/her home to the designated post and return shall be limited to that which exceeds the round trip distance from his/her home to his/her designated headquarters, and shall be computed at the rate set forth under section 599.631(b) of these regulations or in the applicable provisions of a Memorandum of Understanding as appropriate. For the purpose of determining the correct distance to be allowed in these situations, headquarters shall be a designated single geographic location or address regardless of whether the employee spends a major or significant portion of his/her working time there.

(f) No reimbursement will be allowed for transportation expense when the employee uses a privately-owned motorcycle or motor-driven cycle in the conduct of official state business.

1. New section filed 2-9-84 (corrected copy refiled 2-27-84); effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 84, No. 8).
2. Editorial correction of HISTORY NOTES printed in error in Register 84, Nos. 8 and 12 (Register 84, No. 15).
3. Change without regulatory effect amending section and NOTE filed 10-13-2014 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2014, No. 42).

Note: Authority cited: Sections 18502, 19815.4(d) and 19820, Government Code. Reference: Section 11030, Government Code.

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