Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Aug. 05, 2013 Class A	Aug. 05, 2013 Class B
Entity Registrant Name	BERRY PETROLEUM COMPANY
Entity Central Index Key	0000778438
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2013
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		52,674,211	1,763,866
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2