DEBT (Details) (USD $)																											12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013 First mortgage bonds [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 First mortgage bonds [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 First mortgage bonds [Member] Series O, 8.17%, due 12/29/2020 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 First mortgage bonds [Member] Series O, 8.17%, due 12/29/2020 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 First mortgage bonds [Member] Series P, 6.58%, due 01/31/2018 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 First mortgage bonds [Member] Series P, 6.58%, due 01/31/2018 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 First mortgage bonds [Member] Series Q, 4.75%, due 12/01/2043 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 First mortgage bonds [Member] Series Q, 4.75%, due 12/01/2043 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 First mortgage bonds [Member] Series R, 5.96%, due 12/31/2028 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 First mortgage bonds [Member] Series R, 5.96%, due 12/31/2028 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 First mortgage bonds [Member] Series S, 6.73%, due 12/31/2033 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 First mortgage bonds [Member] Series S, 6.73%, due 12/31/2033 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 State revolving fund loans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 State revolving fund loans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 State revolving fund loans [Member] 4.48%, due 08/01/2021 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 State revolving fund loans [Member] 4.48%, due 08/01/2021 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 State revolving fund loans [Member] 3.57%, due 09/01/2023 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 State revolving fund loans [Member] 3.57%, due 09/01/2023 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 State revolving fund loans [Member] 3.64%, due 05/01/2025 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 State revolving fund loans [Member] 3.64%, due 05/01/2025 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 State revolving fund loans [Member] 3.41%, due 02/01/2031 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 State revolving fund loans [Member] 3.41%, due 02/01/2031 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 State revolving fund loans [Member] 3.40%, due 07/01/2032 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 State revolving fund loans [Member] 3.40%, due 07/01/2032 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Citizens Bank [Member] Artesian Resources [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Citizens Bank [Member] LIBOR [Member] Artesian Resources [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 CoBank [Member] Artesian Resources [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 CoBank [Member] Artesian Water [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 CoBank [Member] Artesian Water Maryland [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 CoBank [Member] LIBOR [Member] Artesian Water [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of credit																											$ 40,000,000		$ 20,000,000		$ 10,000,000
Available funds under this line of credit																											35,700,000		14,000,000
Variable rate for credit facility																												LIBOR				LIBOR
Variable rate of credit facility (in hundredths)																												1.00%				1.50%
Expiration date of line of credit																											May 29, 2014			Jan. 13, 2015
Long-term debt consists of [Abstract]
Sub-total of long-term debt	106,642,000	107,368,000	97,400,000	98,000,000	20,000,000	20,000,000	25,000,000	25,000,000	15,400,000	15,400,000	25,000,000	25,000,000	12,000,000	12,600,000	9,242,000	9,368,000	2,187,000	2,410,000	869,000	940,000	1,469,000	1,570,000	2,820,000	2,936,000	1,897,000	1,512,000
Less: current maturities (principal amount)	1,132,000	1,111,000
Total long-term debt	105,510,000	106,257,000
Payments of principal amounts due during the next five years and thereafter [Abstract]
2014	1,132,000		600,000												532,000
2015	1,222,000		600,000												622,000
2016	1,246,000		600,000												646,000
2017	1,271,000		600,000												671,000
2018	26,298,000		25,600,000												698,000
Thereafter	$ 75,473,000		$ 69,400,000												$ 6,073,000