Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
BASIS OF PRESENTATION	BASIS OF PRESENTATION Cousins Properties Incorporated (“Cousins”), a Georgia corporation, is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”). Cousins TRS Services LLC ("CTRS") is a taxable entity wholly owned by and consolidated with Cousins. CTRS owns and manages its own real estate portfolio and performs certain real estate related services for other parties. All of the entities included in the condensed consolidated financial statements are hereinafter referred to collectively as the "Company." The Company develops, acquires, leases, manages, and owns primarily Class A office assets and opportunistic mixed-use properties in Sunbelt markets with a focus on Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina. Cousins has elected to be taxed as a REIT and intends to, among other things, distribute 90% of its net taxable income to stockholders, thereby eliminating any liability for federal income taxes under current law. Therefore, the results included herein do not include a federal income tax provision for Cousins. The condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and were prepared by the Company in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In the opinion of management, these financial statements reflect all adjustments necessary (which adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature) for the fair presentation of the Company's financial position as of September 30, 2016 and the results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of results expected for the full year. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. The accounting policies employed are substantially the same as those shown in note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included in such Form 10-K. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, there were no items of other comprehensive income. Therefore, no presentation of comprehensive income is required. The Company evaluates all partnerships, joint ventures and other arrangements with variable interests to determine if the entity or arrangement qualifies as a variable interest entity (“VIE”), as defined in the Financial Accounting Standards Board's ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC"). If the entity or arrangement qualifies as a VIE and the Company is determined to be the primary beneficiary, the Company is required to consolidate the assets, liabilities, and results of operations of the VIE. The Company concluded that its joint venture with Callaway Gardens Resort, Inc. is a VIE, and the Company is the primary beneficiary. Accordingly, the assets, liabilities and results of operations have been consolidated. In the first quarter of 2016, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2015-02, "Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis," and this adoption had no material impact on the Company. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, "Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting." Under this ASU, the additional paid-in capital pool is eliminated, and an entity recognizes all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement. This ASU also eliminated the requirement to defer recognition of an excess tax benefit until all benefits are realized through a reduction to taxes payable. This ASU also changes the treatment of excess tax benefits as operating cash flows in the statement of cash flows. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 with early adoption permitted. The Company expects to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2017, and is currently assessing the potential impact of adopting the new guidance. In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU 2016-02, "Leases," which amends the existing standards for lease accounting by requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets and making targeted changes to lessor accounting and reporting. The new standard will require lessees to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than 12 months and classify such leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase of the leased asset by the lessee. This classification will determine whether the lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest method (finance leases) or on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease (operating leases). Leases with a term of 12 months or less will be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases. The new standard requires lessors to account for leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to existing guidance for sales-type leases, direct financing leases and operating leases. ASU 2016-02 supersedes previous leasing standards. The guidance is effective for the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. The Company expects to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2019, and is currently assessing the potential impact of adopting the new guidance. The impact of the adoption of this new guidance, if any, will be recorded retrospectively to all financial statements presented. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers." Under the new guidance, companies will recognize revenue when the seller satisfies a performance obligation, which would be when the buyer takes control of the good or service. This new guidance could result in different amounts of revenue being recognized and could result in revenue being recognized in different reporting periods than under the current guidance. The new guidance specifically excludes revenue associated with lease contracts. ASU 2015-14, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers," was subsequently issued modifying the effective date to periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The standard allows for either "full retrospective" adoption, meaning the standard is applied to all of the periods presented, or "modified retrospective" adoption, meaning the standard is applied only to the most recent period presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently assessing this guidance for future implementation and potential impact of adoption. The Company expects to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2018. In the first quarter of 2016, the Company adopted ASU 2015-03, "Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Costs" ("ASU 2015-03"). In accordance with ASU 2015-03, the Company began recording deferred financing costs related to its mortgage notes payable as a reduction in the carrying amount of its notes payable on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company reclassified $2.5 million in deferred financing costs from other assets to notes payable in its December 31, 2015 consolidated balance sheet to conform to the current period's presentation. Deferred financing costs related to the Company’s unsecured revolving credit facility continue to be included in other assets within the Company’s balance sheets in accordance with ASU 2015-15 "Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements." Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform with current year presentation on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and the condensed consolidated statements of equity. Separation expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations have been reclassified from general and administrative expenses to other expenses. On the condensed consolidated statements of equity, all components of common stock issued pursuant to stock-based compensation are aggregated into one line item. These changes do not affect the previously reported total costs and expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations or the total equity in the condensed consolidated statements of equity for any period.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Cousins Properties Incorporated (“Cousins”), a Georgia corporation, is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”). Cousins TRS Services LLC ("CTRS") is a taxable entity wholly owned by and consolidated with Cousins. CTRS owns and manages its own real estate portfolio and performs certain real estate related services for other parties. All of the entities included in the condensed consolidated financial statements are hereinafter referred to collectively as the "Company."

The Company develops, acquires, leases, manages, and owns primarily Class A office assets and opportunistic mixed-use properties in Sunbelt markets with a focus on Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina. Cousins has elected to be taxed as a REIT and intends to, among other things, distribute 90% of its net taxable income to stockholders, thereby eliminating any liability for federal income taxes under current law. Therefore, the results included herein do not include a federal income tax provision for Cousins.

The condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and were prepared by the Company in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In the opinion of management, these financial statements reflect all adjustments necessary (which adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature) for the fair presentation of the Company's financial position as of September 30, 2016 and the results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of results expected for the full year. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. The accounting policies employed are substantially the same as those shown in note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included in such Form 10-K.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, there were no items of other comprehensive income. Therefore, no presentation of comprehensive income is required.

The Company evaluates all partnerships, joint ventures and other arrangements with variable interests to determine if the entity or arrangement qualifies as a variable interest entity (“VIE”), as defined in the Financial Accounting Standards Board's ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC"). If the entity or arrangement qualifies as a VIE and the Company is determined to be the primary beneficiary, the Company is required to consolidate the assets, liabilities, and results of operations of the VIE. The Company concluded that its joint venture with Callaway Gardens Resort, Inc. is a VIE, and the Company is the primary beneficiary. Accordingly, the assets, liabilities and results of operations have been consolidated. In the first quarter of 2016, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2015-02, "Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis," and this adoption had no material impact on the Company.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, "Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting." Under this ASU, the additional paid-in capital pool is eliminated, and an entity recognizes all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement. This ASU also eliminated the requirement to defer recognition of an excess tax benefit until all benefits are realized through a reduction to taxes payable. This ASU also changes the treatment of excess tax benefits as operating cash flows in the statement of cash flows. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 with early adoption permitted. The Company expects to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2017, and is currently assessing the potential impact of adopting the new guidance.

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU 2016-02, "Leases," which amends the existing standards for lease accounting by requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets and making targeted changes to lessor accounting and reporting. The new standard will require lessees to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than 12 months and classify such leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase of the leased asset by the lessee. This classification will determine whether the lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest method (finance leases) or on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease (operating leases). Leases with a term of 12 months or less will be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases. The new standard requires lessors to account for leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to existing guidance for sales-type leases, direct financing leases and operating leases. ASU 2016-02 supersedes previous leasing standards. The guidance is effective for the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. The Company expects to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2019, and is currently assessing the potential impact of adopting the new guidance. The impact of the adoption of this new guidance, if any, will be recorded retrospectively to all financial statements presented.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers." Under the new guidance, companies will recognize revenue when the seller satisfies a performance obligation, which would be when the buyer takes control of the good or service. This new guidance could result in different amounts of revenue being recognized and could result in revenue being recognized in different reporting periods than under the current guidance. The new guidance specifically excludes revenue associated with lease contracts. ASU 2015-14, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers," was subsequently issued modifying the effective date to periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The standard allows for either "full retrospective" adoption, meaning the standard is applied to all of the periods presented, or "modified retrospective" adoption, meaning the standard is applied only to the most recent period presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently assessing this guidance for future implementation and potential impact of adoption. The Company expects to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2018.

In the first quarter of 2016, the Company adopted ASU 2015-03, "Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Costs" ("ASU 2015-03"). In accordance with ASU 2015-03, the Company began recording deferred financing costs related to its mortgage notes payable as a reduction in the carrying amount of its notes payable on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company reclassified $2.5 million in deferred financing costs from other assets to notes payable in its December 31, 2015 consolidated balance sheet to conform to the current period's presentation. Deferred financing costs related to the Company’s unsecured revolving credit facility continue to be included in other assets within the Company’s balance sheets in accordance with ASU 2015-15 "Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements."

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform with current year presentation on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and the condensed consolidated statements of equity. Separation expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations have been reclassified from general and administrative expenses to other expenses. On the condensed consolidated statements of equity, all components of common stock issued pursuant to stock-based compensation are aggregated into one line item. These changes do not affect the previously reported total costs and expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations or the total equity in the condensed consolidated statements of equity for any period.