Document and Entity Information Document Document (USD $)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Jul. 20, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	PDC Energy, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0000077877
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		30,257,261
Common Stock, Par Value Per Share	$ 0.01	$ 0.01	$ 0.01