DOCUMENT AND ENTITY INFORMATION (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Mar. 14, 2013	Jun. 30, 2012
Entity Registrant Name	HALLMARK FINANCIAL SERVICES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000819913
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Trading Symbol	hall
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		19,263,457
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Entity Well-Known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 110,873,264