Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 819,458	$ 869,246
Certificates of deposit	50,000	0
Trading securities	225,746	155,600
Receivable from related parties	2,494	0
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $27,419 and $24,290	1,037,655	1,211,000
Short-term notes receivable	62,500	62,500
Current portion of notes receivable	310,204	320,359
Inventories, net	2,130,058	1,905,015
Real estate held for sale	7,562,572	7,915,512
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	82,460	77,782
Assets held for sale	3,649,810	3,577,340
Total current assets	15,932,957	16,094,354
Long-term receivables, less current portion	296,300	296,300
Oil & gas properties - unproved	8,400	8,400
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization	2,016,992	2,028,532
Goodwill	674,539	674,539
Patents & trademarks, net of accumulated amortization	53,713	44,910
Marketable securities - available for sale	5,460	7,800
Other assets	4,005	4,005
Assets held for sale	1,636,823	1,707,686
Total assets	20,629,189	20,866,526
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	881,632	1,933,212
Bank overdrafts	51,419	26,596
Margin loans	15,525	0
Short-term notes payable	65,719	145,719
Accounts and notes payable to related parties	4,795	6,497
Current installments of long-term debt	2,409,522	2,045,359
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale	3,740,660	2,763,857
Total current liabilities	7,169,272	6,921,240
Accrued pension expense	53,599	56,277
Long-term debt, less current installments	1,365,452	1,374,955
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale	44,306	49,843
Total liabilities	8,632,629	8,402,315
Commitments and contingencies	0	0
Equity:
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, 1,000 and 1,000 shares issued and outstanding, respectively	1	1
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 authorized; 16,017,142 and 16,017,142 shares issued, respectively; and 15,354,711 and 15,364,711 shares outstanding, respectively	16,017	16,017
Additional paid-in capital	37,357,803	36,938,146
Stock subscription receivable	(72,000)	(72,000)
Accumulated deficit	(24,032,115)	(23,066,214)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(1,399,540)	(1,397,200)
Less treasury stock, at cost; 662,431 and 652,431 shares, respectively	(632,717)	(628,694)
Total American International Industries, Inc. equity	11,237,449	11,790,056
Noncontrolling interest	759,111	674,155
Total equity	11,996,560	12,464,211
Total liabilities and equity	$ 20,629,189	$ 20,866,526