Checked against the Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (Ver. 1, effective 24.10.2024) on 15 October 2026. Published by MDG Services on 16 October 2026.
What to keep, and for how long
| How long | Record | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| This financial year and the one before | The company's daily sales register; the density register (Annexure 1 format); pump maintenance records; purchase invoices and sales bills | MDG 5.1.12 MDG 1.2(xiv) |
| The previous five years | The inspection record | MDG 5.1.12 |
| No period stated | The selling licence, Explosives Licence and other licences the outlet needs | MDG 5.1.12 |
| As the company's letter says | Any other record the oil company asks for in writing | MDG 5.1.12 |
Keep a file at the outlet of inspection reports, company letters, test reports and invoice copies MDG 1.5(iv). Records the anti-malpractice Order and company or State instructions require must be shown on demand MDG 1.5(v).
MDG leaves two points open:
- Sales register or stock register? Clause 5.1.12 names a daily sales register and clause 1.3 a daily stock register. MDG does not say if they are one book or two. Ask your oil company which books it expects MDG 5.1.12 MDG 1.3.
- "Previous five years". Five financial years, or five years back from the visit? MDG does not say. General practice, not an MDG rule: keep to whichever reading reaches further back.
The daily entries
- Morning meter readings and the product dip of each tank MDG 1.3.
- The morning water dip MDG 1.4.1(b).
- Density at 15°C, before sales and by 10 AM MDG 1.4.1(c) MDG 5.1.9. See the 10 AM rule.
- The quantity used to test each nozzle MDG 1.4.2(d).
- Each tanker's entries MDG 1.2(viii): tanker receipt, density register, stock register.
Other papers have their own pages: manual mode permission, the toilet sheet, the maintenance job report, the mobile lab report and retention samples.
What a missing record can cost
| What the inspector finds | Class | Action MDG lists |
|---|---|---|
| Records since the last inspection are not kept | Major MDG 8.3 | 15 days' suspension, then 30 days, then termination |
| Those are kept, but older required records are missing | Minor MDG 8.4 | Warning-cum-guidance letter, then Rs 10,000, then Rs 25,000 per irregularity |
For example, an outlet last inspected on 12 March 2026 is visited on 10 October 2026. The financial year runs April to March, so registers and bills must go back to 1 April 2025. A missing June 2026 sales register is major MDG 8.3. If everything after 12 March 2026 is complete but the June 2025 pages are lost, it is minor MDG 8.4.
Watch the one-minute explainer
Questions dealers ask
01What records must be maintained at a petrol pump?
The daily sales register, density register, maintenance records, inspection record, purchase invoices and sales bills, the licences to run the outlet, and any record the oil company asks for in writing MDG 5.1.12.
02How long must petrol pump records be kept?
Registers, maintenance records, purchase invoices and sales bills: this financial year and the one before. The inspection record: the previous five years MDG 5.1.12.
03Are a density register and a stock register compulsory at a petrol pump?
Yes. The dealer keeps the density register in the Annexure 1 format MDG 1.2(xiv) MDG Annexure 1 and the daily stock register the company provides MDG 1.3.
04What must a petrol pump record every morning?
Meter readings, the product dip and water dip of each tank, and the density at 15°C before sales and by 10 AM MDG 1.3 MDG 1.4.1(b) MDG 1.4.1(c) MDG 5.1.9.
05What happens if records are missing at a petrol pump inspection?
Records missing since the last inspection are major; if only older records are missing, it is minor. The listed actions are minimums MDG 8.3 MDG 8.4 MDG 8.5.1.
Read the official text: Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (PDF on Bharat Petroleum's website) (also published on iocl.com).
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About Dealer Kavach (advertisement)
Dealer Kavach is an app from MDG Services that tracks your outlet's filings, renewals, inspections and daily reports, and reminds you before deadlines, in Hindi and English.