Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Revenues:
Net premiums earned	$ 161,942,637	$ 150,457,785	$ 320,417,916	$ 296,987,601
Investment income, net of investment expenses	5,343,883	5,157,396	10,890,392	10,106,349
Net realized investment gains	715,177	390,461	1,186,118	1,436,982
Lease income	172,629	189,652	350,989	389,725
Installment payment fees	1,367,066	1,480,133	2,729,526	3,000,458
Equity in earnings of Donegal Financial Services Corporation	305,475	341,527	340,702	868,287
Total revenues	169,846,867	158,016,954	335,915,643	312,789,402
Expenses:
Net losses and loss expenses	103,193,915	97,839,291	198,771,980	193,778,603
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs	26,554,000	24,826,000	52,510,000	48,836,000
Other underwriting expenses	26,578,997	25,203,442	53,217,024	49,036,506
Policyholder dividends	754,682	687,872	1,586,569	1,605,709
Interest	403,882	390,077	812,362	720,615
Other expenses	315,699	676,921	953,477	1,403,313
Total expenses	157,801,175	149,623,603	307,851,412	295,380,746
Income before income tax expense	12,045,692	8,393,351	28,064,231	17,408,656
Income tax expense	3,461,038	1,928,324	7,630,664	4,089,293
Net income	$ 8,584,654	$ 6,465,027	$ 20,433,567	$ 13,319,363
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Earnings per common share:
Common stock - basic	$ 0.33	$ 0.24	$ 0.79	$ 0.50
Common stock - diluted	0.32	0.24	0.78	0.49
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Earnings per common share:
Common stock - basic	0.30	0.21	0.72	0.45
Common stock - diluted	0.30	0.21	0.72	0.45
Common stock - basic and diluted	$ 0.30	$ 0.21	$ 0.72	$ 0.45