Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2011	Jul. 25, 2011 Class A	Jul. 25, 2011 Class B
Entity Registrant Name	BERRY PETROLEUM CO
Entity Central Index Key	0000778438
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2011
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		51,733,091	1,797,784
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2