Document and Entity Information Document	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Nov. 01, 2013
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	SOUTH JERSEY INDUSTRIES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000091928
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		32,207,008