Dealer stock register in SA: second-hand vehicle dealer records
South Australia doesn’t name a single dealer stock register in the parts of the Second-hand Vehicle Dealers Act and Regulations we could confirm. Instead, dealers must keep specific sale documents for set periods, and RevenueSA expects a vehicle-by-vehicle record of acquisitions and disposals for stamp duty exemptions.
- The Second-hand Vehicle Dealers Regulations 2025 replaced the 2010 Regulations in 2025.
- Keep the selling dealer’s copy of a Dealer Sale form for at least 2 years.
- Keep sale contracts and the dealer’s copy of the section 16 notice at the notified premises; produce them to an authorised officer on request.
- RevenueSA expects records of make, model, rego, acquisition and disposal dates, and odometer at each, for the resale exemption.
Which law applies
Dealers are licensed under the Second-hand Vehicle Dealers Act 1995, with detail in the Second-hand Vehicle Dealers Regulations 2025. Consumer and Business Services (CBS) administers it. If you buy, sell or offer four or more vehicles in 12 months, you’re treated as a dealer.
What dealers must keep
| Record | How long | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sale contracts | At least 2 years from the sale (under the 2010 Regulations; confirm the current period with CBS) | Notified premises, or another location recorded there |
| Dealer’s copy of the section 16 notice (Form 1) | At least 2 years from the sale (confirm the current period with CBS) | Notified premises, or another location recorded there |
| Dealer Sale form (dealer to dealer), selling dealer’s copy | At least 2 years from the sale | Kept by the selling dealer |
| Dealer Sale form, buying dealer’s copy | At least while you own the car (confirm the exact period under the 2025 Regulations with CBS) | Kept by the buying dealer |
| Signed cooling-off waivers | At least 2 years from signing | Kept by the dealer |
| Salesperson employment records | For the length of employment | Notified premises |
The Dealer Sale form is completed and signed in duplicate within 7 days of the buying dealer taking possession.
The stock record RevenueSA expects
If you claim the stamp duty exemption for vehicles held for resale or demonstration, RevenueSA says you must keep enough records to show each vehicle is eligible. Logbooks aren’t required, but the records must include:
- Vehicle details: make, model and registration number.
- Date of acquisition and date of disposal.
- Odometer reading on acquisition and on disposal.
In practice that’s a stock register, and keeping one also makes your sale documents easy to find when CBS asks.
Electronic records, inspection and penalties
Whether these records can be kept electronically, and any rules for doing so: check with CBS. Dealers must produce required sale documents to an authorised officer within a reasonable time when asked. SA’s general second-hand dealer police inspection regime under the Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act doesn’t apply to vehicles received by a licensed vehicle dealer. For penalty amounts, check with CBS. Licensing is covered in our SA car dealer licence guide.
Consignment
We couldn’t confirm consignment-specific record rules for SA from official sources. Check with CBS before taking cars on consignment.