In South Australia, demerit points are managed by Service SA. On a full licence you’re suspended once you reach 12 points; learners and provisional drivers have much lower limits. Points last three years from the offence date. Here’s how the limit, the suspension periods and the good behaviour option work, and how you get your licence and points back.
Demerit points expire three years after the date of the offence. Reach 12 within any three-year period on a full licence and you’re disqualified.
Your limit before a suspension depends on your licence type:
| Licence type | Limit before suspension |
|---|---|
| Full licence | 12 points in any 3 years |
| Provisional (P1/P2) | 4 points |
| Learner | 4 points |
Once you reach your limit, Service SA suspends your licence. For a full licence the time off the road steps up with the number of points:
| Points | Off the road for |
|---|---|
| 12–15 points | 3 months |
| 16–19 points | 4 months |
| 20 or more points | 5 months |
Learner and provisional disqualifications are fixed instead of point-banded: 6 months for a learner, and 6 months for a first provisional disqualification (12 months for a repeat).
Full licence holders can take a 12-month Good Behaviour Option, elected within 28 days of the notice: stay under 2 points for the year or face a new disqualification of double the length. Provisional drivers get a different one-off alternative (a Safer Driver Agreement), and learners get no good-behaviour option at all.
South Australia doesn’t publish an explicit "reset to zero" rule, instead your points simply expire three years after each offence date. For provisional and learner drivers the licence is cancelled when the disqualification starts, so you re-apply once it ends.
Learners and provisional drivers hit the limit at 4 points and serve fixed disqualifications, 6 months for a learner, 6 months for a first provisional disqualification (12 for a repeat). Learners get no good-behaviour option and no right of appeal; a provisional driver’s one-off alternative is a Safer Driver Agreement, and breaching it doubles the disqualification.
These limits and suspensions are about your licence, but the points themselves come from a fine, so there is a separate path worth remembering. You can request a review of the underlying fine through the issuing authority, and if the fine is withdrawn the demerit points that came with it are removed too, which can stop you reaching your limit in the first place. Fight My Fine helps you draft that review letter.
Official sources: Service SA, check demerit points · SA, demerit disqualification.
On a full licence, 12 points. Learners and provisional drivers reach their limit much sooner (4 points).
They generally stay on your record for three years, from the date of the offence.
Learners and provisional drivers have a much lower limit (4 points), so a single serious offence can be enough to lose the licence.
SA doesn’t publish a formal reset; your points simply expire three years after each offence date.
If the fine that added the points looks wrong, Fight My Fine helps you draft a review or leniency letter, structured around what the reviewing officer looks for. You get a free case-strength check first, and if your grounds are weak we tell you before you pay. Flat price: $10 for parking and toll fines, $15 for all other fines.
Fight My Fine is a self-help tool, not a law firm, and this page is general information, not legal advice. You are the author and sender of every letter. The issuing authority makes the final decision on any review. For serious matters or court, speak with a qualified lawyer or a free service such as LawAccess NSW.