When determining whether your agency needs to purchase, lease, rent or permanently assign a vehicle, please consider the Vehicle Transportation Guidelines:

Utilization of State-owned Vehicles (Agency-owned or Leased from State Fleet Management)

  • Many agencies maintain a pool of available vehicles on a first-come, first-served basis. These vehicles are either owned by the agency, leased from State Fleet Management (SFM) or a combination of both.
  • SFM recommends state-owned vehicles be considered first in satisfying any business travel needs.

Utilization of Statewide Short-term Vehicle Rental Contacts

  • The State Procurement Office maintains a Vehicle Rental Services contract for short-term utilization (less than 30 days) of rental cars, trucks, vans, etc.
  • The contracted vendors and their prices vary throughout the state. View vendor pricing.
  • Only consider this option if:
    • State-owned vehicles are unavailable for the travel need.
    • The destination is outside of the state.
    • The cost of renting a vehicle is less than the expense of a personal mileage reimbursement (or the employee has declined use of their personal vehicle).

Personal Mileage Reimbursement

  • Your agency may elect to ask an employee to utilize their personal vehicle for business travel.
  • Through this option, a mileage reimbursement rate is to be paid to the employee by your agency. The cost of mileage reimbursement versus the costs of the other transportation options should be considered before utilizing this option.
  • The mileage reimbursement rate is two-tier:
    • There is a standard IRS mileage reimbursement rate as published by the Comptroller General’s Office that should be used when an employee utilizes a personal vehicle for business travel. This rate can be used only when agency state-owned vehicles and short- term rental contract vehicles are NOT available.
    • If state-owned vehicles and short-term rental contract vehicles are available for the trip, but the employee chooses to utilize a personal vehicle for business travel, a rate of 4 cents less than the standard rate should be applied to comply with the 2018-2019 General Appropriations Act Proviso 117.82.
    • View more information and guidance regarding this proviso and the most current reimbursement rates.

New Vehicle Acquisition Process

Always check the State Procurement Office (MMO) website to see which types of vehicles are on state contract. View contracts.

Submit the completed following documents, with the signature of the agency head or authorized personnel, to request a vehicle purchase:

  • SFM Form SASS-007A
  • Purchase order
  • Justification statements and any applicable supporting documentation
  • Mail or Email completed purchase package to:

State Fleet Management
1205 Pendleton Street Suite 113
Columbia, SC 29201

statefleet@admin.sc.gov

New Vehicle Delivery

All new vehicles ordered by state agencies except the Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Education are delivered to SFM's receiving lot located at:

1447 Boston Avenue
West Columbia, SC 29170

View a map of this location here.

Vehicle Disposal Process

To be eligible for disposal, a state vehicle must either be "excess to the needs of the State" or meet the established vehicle replacement criteria.

State Fleet Management
1205 Pendleton Street Suite 113
Columbia, SC 29201

  • SFM will process your Request To Dispose of a State Vehicle and send approved copies to your agency and to the Surplus Property Office.
  • Once you have received this approved SFM Form SASS-007A, contact the Surplus Property Office PLACEHOLDER, ADD ADDRESS to complete the appropriate paperwork and arrange to turn your old vehicle over for sale. 

Vehicle Purchase and Disposal Best Practices

  • Thoroughly review and complete all applicable fields on the SFM Form SASS-007A.
  • When completing the purchase order include the vehicle Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF) per SC Code §56-3-627 (5 percent of the purchase price or a maximum of $500). Please include the IMF as a separate line item.
  • Alert SFM of any changes with transportation coordinators and contacts within your agency.
  • All additional vehicle options (not listed on the Statewide Vehicle Contract bid sheets) must be supported by a statement of justification explaining why the option is required to perform the job function.

Exemption from State Motor Vehicle ID Requirement

  • Use SFM Form SASS-007B to apply for exemption from the state vehicle identification requirements per SC Code §1-11-320.
  • Submit this form by mail or email to:

State Fleet Management
1205 Pendleton Street Suite 113
Columbia, SC 29201

Statefleet@admin.sc.gov

Permanent Assignment of State-Owned Vehicles

The S.C. Code of Laws Section 1-11-270 provides for the establishment of criteria for individual assignment of motor vehicles. The following serves as a summary of the primary areas of the statute:

  • Permanent assignments can be based on the position individuals hold:
    • Governor
    • Statewide elected officials
    • Agency heads
  • Agency Heads may assign a state-owned vehicle based on:
    • Law enforcement officers (as defined by agency head).
    • Specially equipped vehicles that enable an employee to do their job.
    • Employee in an emergency response capacity after hours or for logistical reasons.
    • No other employee unless it is determined to be cost advantageous to the state.

To register a new permanent assignment, withdraw an existing assignment, or update information on an existing permanent assignment, use Form SASS-007C.

Submit completed forms or any electronic correspondence regarding permanent assignments to Permassign@admin.sc.gov. Questions should be directed to the Support Services and Regulatory Manager (803-737-1515).

Only agency heads or their authorized designee (Signature Authority form must be on file with SFM) may approve or decline permanent assignments. Permanent assignments to line duty law enforcement officers must also be approved by the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

Additionally, an employee that commutes from their permanently assigned work location to and from the employee's home must reimburse the agency in which they are employed for commuting. Proviso 117.82 of the 2018-19 Appropriations Act states the following:

Proviso: 117.82. (GP: Commuting Costs) State government employees who use a permanently assigned agency or state owned vehicle to commute from their permanently assigned work location to and from the employee’s home must reimburse the agency in which they are employed for commuting use in accordance with IRS regulations based on guidance from the Office of Comptroller General which must use the cents per mile rule, unless they are exempted from such reimbursement by applicable IRS regulations. These permanently assigned vehicles must be clearly marked as a state or agency vehicle through the use of permanent state-government license plates and either state or agency seal decals unless the vehicle is used primarily in undercover operations. This requirement does not apply to a vehicle used by an employee for the purpose of a special travel assignment, for active certified law enforcement officers authorized to carry firearms, execute warrants, and make arrests, for Constitutional Officers, or for Department of Transportation employees on call for emergency maintenance.