Cash Distribution from Equity Method Investment

No definition available.

Name:	brn_CashDistributionfromEquityMethodInvestment
Namespace Prefix:	brn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Gross proceeds received by the Kukio Resort land development partnerships, entities in which Barnwell holds an equity method investment.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	brn_GrossProceedsfromSaleofLotbyEquityInvestee
Namespace Prefix:	brn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The portion of the gross cash distribution received from equity method investments distributed to minority interests.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	brn_Minorityinterestsportionofequityinvesteedistribution
Namespace Prefix:	brn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Net cash received from the sale of real estate held for sale after payment of commission, closing costs and repayment of associated debt.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	brn_NetCashReceivedOnSaleOfRealEstate
Namespace Prefix:	brn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the number of single-family lots sold to date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	brn_NumberOfSingleFamilyLotsSold
Namespace Prefix:	brn_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The gross cash inflow from the sale of interest in leasehold land.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	brn_ProceedsFromSaleOfInterestInLeaseholdLandGross
Namespace Prefix:	brn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_InvestmentHoldingsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Revenue from the sale of commercial, industrial, or residential property during the period. This element is more likely than not relevant to an entity for which real estate operations are a principal activity. If real estate operations are not a principal activity, the reporting entity would likely use a gain (loss) on sale of property, plant, or equipment type element.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 225
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.1(e))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26872669&loc=d3e20235-122688

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SalesOfRealEstate
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis=brn_LandDevelopmentPartnershipsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=brn_Kaupulehu2007LLLPMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=brn_KaupulehuDevelopmentsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	brn_IncrementAxis=brn_IncrementIIMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

LIQUIDITY - REAL ESTATE AND LAND INVESTMENT (Details)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
LIQUIDITY - REAL ESTATE AND LAND INVESTMENT (Details)	Apr. 30, 2016 USD ($) lot	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Residential real estate		$ 5,700,000	$ 0	$ 5,700,000	$ 0
Investment in land development partnerships
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Number of single family lots sold \| lot	1
Gross proceeds from sale of lot by equity investee	$ 20,000,000
Cash distribution from equity investees	5,320,000
Minority Interest portion of the distribution from equity investee	40,000
Kaupulehu 2007, LLLP
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Residential real estate	5,700,000
Net Cash Received On Sale Of Real Estate	1,500,000
Kaupulehu Developments
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Percentage of sales payment received		$ 1,775,000	$ 1,473,000	$ 2,255,000	$ 3,623,000
Kaupulehu Developments \| Increment II
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Percentage of sales payment received	$ 1,600,000