Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Oct. 18, 2013 Class A Common Stock	Oct. 18, 2013 Class B Common Stock
Entity Registrant Name	ERIE INDEMNITY CO
Entity Central Index Key	0000922621
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
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		46,563,694	2,542