Long-Term Debt	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Long-Term Debt [Abstract]
LONG-TERM DEBT	11. LONG-TERM DEBT The Company has outstanding a principal amount of $130.0 million of 7⅞% unsecured Senior Notes, due in 2015, with interest payable semi-annually. The Company had a $40.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility with a $20.0 million accordion feature that was to mature in November 2012 and was collateralized by all personal property and funeral home real property in certain states. Effective August 11, 2011, the Company entered into a new secured revolving credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. which contains commitments for an aggregate of $60.0 million with an accordion provision for up to an additional $15.0 million. The credit facility matures in October 2014 and under certain conditions may be extended to October 2016. The credit facility is collateralized by the accounts receivable and all personal property of the Company. Borrowings under the credit facility bear interest at either prime or LIBOR options. At September 30, 2011 the prime rate option was equivalent to 4.125% and the LIBOR margin was 1.875%. During the third quarter of 2011, the Company recorded a charge of approximately $201,000 to write-off the remaining unamortized fees on the prior credit facility. The fees related to the new credit facility were approximately $334,000 and are being amortized over the life of the facility. Carriage, the parent entity, has no material assets or operations independent of its subsidiaries. All assets and operations are held and conducted by subsidiaries, each of which (except for Carriage Services Capital Trust, which is a single purpose entity that holds our 7% debentures issued in connection with the issuance of the Trust’s term income deferrable equity securities (“TIDES”) 7% convertible preferred securities) have fully and unconditionally guaranteed the Company’s obligations under the 7⅞% Senior Notes. Additionally, the Company does not currently have any significant restrictions on its ability to receive dividends or loans from any subsidiary guarantor under the 7⅞% Senior Notes. In August 2011, the Company repurchased 35,000 shares of these TIDES for approximately $1,269,000 and recorded a gain of $481,000. The Company converted and immediately cancelled these preferred shares at the current conversion rate of 2.4465 into shares of common stock equal to 85,628 shares. No repurchases were made in the third quarter of 2010. For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, the Company had repurchased 17,850 shares of TIDES for approximately $576,000 and recorded gains of $316,000. For the nine months ended September 30, 2011, the Company has repurchased 61,742 shares of TIDES for approximately $2,241,000 and recorded gains totaling $846,000. At September 30, 2011, amounts outstanding under the convertible junior subordinated debenture totaled $89.8 million. The Company was in compliance with the covenants contained in the previous and new credit facilities, as applicable, and the Senior Notes as of September 30, 2010 and 2011.

11. LONG-TERM DEBT

The Company has outstanding a principal amount of $130.0 million of 7⅞% unsecured Senior Notes, due in 2015, with interest payable semi-annually. The Company had a $40.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility with a $20.0 million accordion feature that was to mature in November 2012 and was collateralized by all personal property and funeral home real property in certain states. Effective August 11, 2011, the Company entered into a new secured revolving credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. which contains commitments for an aggregate of $60.0 million with an accordion provision for up to an additional $15.0 million. The credit facility matures in October 2014 and under certain conditions may be extended to October 2016. The credit facility is collateralized by the accounts receivable and all personal property of the Company. Borrowings under the credit facility bear interest at either prime or LIBOR options. At September 30, 2011 the prime rate option was equivalent to 4.125% and the LIBOR margin was 1.875%. During the third quarter of 2011, the Company recorded a charge of approximately $201,000 to write-off the remaining unamortized fees on the prior credit facility. The fees related to the new credit facility were approximately $334,000 and are being amortized over the life of the facility.

Carriage, the parent entity, has no material assets or operations independent of its subsidiaries. All assets and operations are held and conducted by subsidiaries, each of which (except for Carriage Services Capital Trust, which is a single purpose entity that holds our 7% debentures issued in connection with the issuance of the Trust’s term income deferrable equity securities (“TIDES”) 7% convertible preferred securities) have fully and unconditionally guaranteed the Company’s obligations under the 7⅞% Senior Notes. Additionally, the Company does not currently have any significant restrictions on its ability to receive dividends or loans from any subsidiary guarantor under the 7⅞% Senior Notes. In August 2011, the Company repurchased 35,000 shares of these TIDES for approximately $1,269,000 and recorded a gain of $481,000. The Company converted and immediately cancelled these preferred shares at the current conversion rate of 2.4465 into shares of common stock equal to 85,628 shares. No repurchases were made in the third quarter of 2010. For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, the Company had repurchased 17,850 shares of TIDES for approximately $576,000 and recorded gains of $316,000. For the nine months ended September 30, 2011, the Company has repurchased 61,742 shares of TIDES for approximately $2,241,000 and recorded gains totaling $846,000. At September 30, 2011, amounts outstanding under the convertible junior subordinated debenture totaled $89.8 million.

The Company was in compliance with the covenants contained in the previous and new credit facilities, as applicable, and the Senior Notes as of September 30, 2010 and 2011.