Document And Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jul. 31, 2017
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	MDC HOLDINGS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000773141
Trading Symbol	mdc
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)		51,877,619
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Amendment Flag	false