USE OF PRIVATELY OWNED AUTOMOBILES ON CITY BUSINESS AND REIMBURSEMENT THEREFOR

Los Angeles Administrative Code div. 4, ch. 5, art. 2

in effect

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 4.229 Authority for Use.

Sec. 4.229. Authority for Use. Whenever the Board or officer in charge and control of any department of this city shall determine that the proper and efficient performance of the duties of any officer or employee of such department or office requires that such officer or employee be permitted to use therein an automobile owned by the officer or employee, or under the officer’s or employee’s possession or control, such officer or employee may be authorized to use said automobile in city service in the following manner: (a) Said Board or officer shall be responsible for the administration of the use of privately-owned automobiles under the provisions of this article, subject to review by the Director of the Office of Administrative and Research Services. (b) The City Administrative Officer shall prescribe the procedure for such review. SECTION HISTORY Based on Ord. No. 86,626. Amended by: Ord. No. 129,802; Ord. No. 173,308, Eff. 6-30-00, Oper. 7-1-00; Subsec. (b), Ord. No. 179,994, Eff. 7-11-08.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 4.230 Reimbursement

Sec. 4.230. Reimbursement Each officer or employee who is authorized to use the officer’s or employee’s own vehicle in the performance of the officer’s or employee’s duties shall be reimbursed for transportation expenses for all miles travelled in any bi-weekly period, in addition to any and all salaries and other compensation otherwise provided for by law. The cents-per-mile reimbursement rate shall be in accordance to an amount equal to the annual standard car mileage allowance as determined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Director of the Office of Administrative and Research Services (City Administrative Officer) shall certify to the Controller appropriate changes, if required, to become effective the beginning of the pay period in which January 1 falls, or on such date as the IRS determines. SECTION HISTORY Based on Ord. No. 86,626. Amended by: Ord. No. 135,637; Ord. No. 141,335, Eff. 1-17-71; Ord. No. 142,726, Eff. 1-7-72; Ord. No. 146,047, Eff. 6-13-74, Oper. 6-9-74; Ord. No. 149,011, Eff. 11-30-76, Oper. 12-5-76; Ord. No. 150,272, Eff. 11-3-77; Ord. No. 150,868, Eff. 5-17-78, Oper. 5-21-78; Ord. No. 152,765, Eff. 9-15-79; Ord. No. 153,070, Eff. 11-29-79; In Entirety, Ord. No. 155,667, Eff. 7-31-81, Oper. 6-26-81; In Entirety, Ord. No. 166,959, Eff. 5-16-91; In Entirety, Ord. No. 170,101, Eff. 11-17-94, Oper. 7-1-94; In Entirety, Ord. No. 170,864, Eff. 1-22-96, Oper. 1-22-96; Ord. No. 173,308, Eff. 6-30-00, Oper. 7-1-00; In Entirety, Ord. No. 184,261, Eff. 5-5-16.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 4.231 Guarantee.

Sec. 4.231. Guarantee. Each officer or employee qualifying for reimbursement under this article shall be guaranteed, each pay period, mileage reimbursement equal to the number of days in the pay period for which the officer or employee receives reimbursement under the provisions of Section 4.230 of this article, times ten miles. SECTION HISTORY Based on Ord. No. 86,626. Amended by: Ord. No. 110,039; Ord. No. 141,335, Eff. 1-17-71; In Entirety, Ord. No. 164,881, Eff. 5-26-89.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 4.232 Insurance Required.

Sec. 4.232. Insurance Required. No such authority shall be granted for the use of any privately owned vehicle for purposes within the scope and course of public duties unless the officer or employee to whom such authority is granted shall have first obtained, and maintains throughout the period of such use in full force and effect, a satisfactory policy of public liability insurance covering the full use and operation of the vehicle in question. The limits of liability on any such policy shall not be less than $25,000 in the case of injury to or death of one person, and $50,000 in the case of injury to or death of more than one person, and in the case of property damage, not less than $5,000 in any one accident. The cost of such insurance policy shall be borne by the officer or employee authorized hereunder to use the vehicle. Evidence of insurance in the form of a Certificate of Insurance (original signed copy), or other documentation acceptable to the City Attorney, shall be submitted to the appointing authority of the employing department. SECTION HISTORY Based on Ord. No. 86,626. Amended by: In Entirety, Ord. No. 164,881, Eff. 5-26-89.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 4.233 Use Regulations.

Sec. 4.233. Use Regulations. In addition to any rule and regulation, not in conflict herewith, that may be established by any board or officer to govern the use of privately owned vehicles in the course of public duties, the following regulations shall apply generally to such use: a. Each officer and employee required to make intermittent trips originating and terminating in the City Hall shall use the pool car service of the City Hall Garage whenever reasonably and practically possible. b. Each officer and employee who reports to their headquarters at the beginning and at the end of their scheduled hours of work shall be reimbursed for all mileage traveled on city business from their headquarters at the beginning of work until the officer or employee reaches headquarters at the end of work. No such officer or employee shall be reimbursed for mileage traveled between their home and headquarters or between their headquarters and home. c. Each officer and employee who reports to their headquarters at the beginning of their scheduled hours of work and returns directly to their home from their last field job shall be reimbursed for all mileage traveled on city business from their headquarters at the beginning of the work schedule until the officer or employee reaches their last field job and shall also be reimbursed for any mileage traveled between their last field job and home which is in excess of the mileage from their headquarters and home. No such officer or employee shall be reimbursed for mileage traveled between their home and headquarters. d. Each officer and employee who reports directly to a field job at the beginning of their scheduled hours of work and reports to their headquarters from their last job shall be reimbursed for all mileage traveled on city business from their first field job at the beginning of the work schedule to their headquarters at the end of the work schedule and shall also be reimbursed for any mileage traveled between their home and their first field job at the beginning of the work schedule which is in excess of the mileage from their home to headquarters. No such officer or employee shall be reimbursed for mileage traveled between their headquarters and home. e. Each officer and employee who reports directly to a field job at the beginning of their scheduled hours of work and returns directly to their home from a field job at the end of the work schedule shall be reimbursed for all mileage traveled on city business from their field job to their last field job and shall also be reimbursed for any mileage traveled from their home to their first field job which is in excess of the mileage from their home to headquarters, and for any mileage traveled between their last field job and home which is in excess of the mileage from their headquarters to home. f. For each officer and employee for whom reimbursement for mileage traveled on city business is authorized, the administrative head of the department, bureau or office shall assign a permanent headquarters for use in calculating the home-to-headquarters mileage deduction. The term “headquarters” as used above applied to those places of assignment to which the employee is required to report for instructions, such as in City Hall, Branch City Halls, various departmental or divisional yards, plants and stations and similar places of assignment. (1) Should the work of an officer or employee be such that the officer or employee is not required to report to such a place for instructions, a headquarters near the officer’s or employee’s area of assignment shall be designated by the administrative head for purposes of this subsection. (2) Should the work assignment of an officer or employee be of a special nature, requiring unusual knowledge or skill, and if location of this job assignment is significantly more distant from the officer’s or employee’s home than the officer’s or employee’s normal work assignment; a headquarters which is the normal distance from the employee’s home may be designated by the administrative head during the period of special assignment. g. The term “job” as used above applies to those places of assignment to which the officer or employee is occasionally required to report for the purpose of inspections, investigations, supervision, or work. h. In the event of a temporary change of headquarters, for a period of 30 days or less, the new location shall be classified as a “job” assignment; provided, however, that if the officer or employee continues to report at the new headquarters for more than 30 days that location shall be considered thereafter as the permanent headquarters of the officer or employee. This subsection shall not apply to a change of headquarters during a period of special assignment to Subdivision (2) of Subsection f. of this section. i. Any officer or employee who, in case of an emergency caused by unforeseen circumstances affecting the health, safety and welfare of the City or its inhabitants, is required to report at a time other than during the officer’s or employee’s normal working hours to the officer’s or employee’s headquarters or directly to a field job and who returns therefrom to the officer’s or employee’s home, shall be reimbursed for all mileage traveled on City business from the officer’s or employee’s home until the officer or employee returns to their home. j. Any officer or employee who is required to report to work more than once during any scheduled workday shall be reimbursed for all mileage traveled on City business from the officer’s or employee’s home until the officer or employee returns to their home for all trips in excess of one round trip. SECTION HISTORY Based on Ord. No. 86,626. Amended by: Ord. No. 130,281; Ord. No. 141,427, Eff. 2-18-71; Ord. No. 157,181, Eff. 10-21-82, Oper. 7-1-82; Subsec. (i), Subsec. (j) added, Ord. No. 158,945, Eff. 5-18-84, Oper. 1-1-84.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 4.234 Speedometers.

Sec. 4.234. Speedometers. Each employee who is authorized to use their privately- owned car in city service shall be required to maintain the speedometer of their car in working order at all times. Failure to report speedometer readings as required by the regular mileage report form shall be cause for the disallowance of any reimbursement for mileage traveled during the particular period involved. SECTION HISTORY Based on Ord. No. 86,626.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 4.235 Reports.

Sec. 4.235. Reports. The Controller is hereby instructed to devise a combination daily work report and mileage report form upon which each employee will record the speedometer readings and trip itinerary as well as the work performed, and such data will constitute the basis upon which reimbursement shall be made for the use of the employee’s automobile. SECTION HISTORY Based on Ord. No. 86,626.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 4.236 Automobile Allowance - General Managers and Elected Officials.

Sec. 4.236. Automobile Allowance - General Managers and Elected Officials. A general manager, as defined in Section 4.321, or an elected official who elects to use their own vehicle on a regular basis in the performance of their duties, in lieu of an assigned City vehicle, shall receive an allowance of $500.00 per month. General managers and elected officials who receive an allowance in accordance with this section shall not be subject to the reimbursement and use regulations contained in Sections 4.230 - 4.231 and Sections 4.233 - 4.235. However, they shall be subject to the insurance requirements of Section 4.232. Evidence of insurance shall be submitted to the Controller prior to initial receipt of the allowance and upon each renewal of the policy. General managers and elected officials who receive an automobile allowance pursuant to this section shall not be eligible for vanpool, carpool, or public transportation subsidy/reimbursement benefits provided in accordance with the City’s Rideshare Program, and will be subject to any limitation of benefits described in the Special Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Employee Parking and Commute Options, as applicable to non-represented employees pursuant to Section 4.309 of this Code. SECTION HISTORY Added by Ord. No. 171,270, Eff. 9-10-96. (See Sec. 5 of this Ordinance No. 171,270 regarding operative date.) Amended by: Second para. added, Ord. No. 182,969, Eff. 4-18-14.

Source: City of Los Angeles, Charter and Codes (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/laac/0-0-0-11819Fetched: 10/24/2026