Hi Clara, we've owned a variety of vehicles at the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective. Vehicle insurance and registration requirements vary state to state, so it might be worth a call to your DMV to get a grasp on your state-specific laws.
- -who to make the title out to
- 501c3 orgs are corporate entities, and can hold titles to vehicles. Our vehicles have all been registered in our organization's name.
- -how to control keys/who is allowed to drive it
- I carry a copy of the key with me, and we keep a copy in a locked key box in the office for other staff to access.
- Per a conversation with our insurance broker, any staff member or volunteer is covered as long as they're on shop business. I just make sure they have a valid driver's license before we authorize the trip. Most trips are taken by management staff, with occasional (1-2x/yr) volunteer use.
- If we're pulling a trailer, I make sure whoever's driving has trailer experience before they leave our lot.
- -maintenance costs and responsibility
- This varies widely based on state requirements, condition of the vehicle, and mileage driven. Our county requires an annual emissions test, and until recently, the State of Utah required an annual safety inspection. These are/were registration prerequisites here. Most maintenance needs are discovered or addressed on this schedule, and vary year to year.
- Commercial vehicles in Utah need an annual safety inspection to present to law enforcement in case of a stop, but it's not required for registration.
- Failing to safely maintain a vehicle can have an impact on organizational liability in case of a crash or injury. In principle, I see it as our organization's responsibility to keep the vehicle in safe, good working order. I budget $1500 per year per vehicle.
- -insurance
- Our vehicles have liability insurance brokered with our general liability policy. Our broker is Beehive Insurance here in Salt Lake, and they set us up with our policy through the Nonprofits Insurance Alliance. I don't know the cost impact of the vehicle liability insurance as that's handled at our board level.
- -borrowing/lending: who can use it?
- Any staff member or volunteer on shop business who has a valid driver's license.
- -and any other thoughts you might have :)
- Again, your DMV and insurance company may have different insights. I'd recommend clarifying everything with them.
-Kai