Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Apr. 19, 2013 Class A Common Stock	Apr. 19, 2013 Class B Common Stock
Entity Registrant Name	ERIE INDEMNITY CO
Entity Central Index Key	0000922621
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2013
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		46,697,008	2,542
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1