| Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block] | NOTE 1 – Use of Estimates The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. As reflected in the accompanying financial statements, the Company has negative working capital, losses from operations and negative cash flows from operations. Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change relate to the estimate of Company oil and gas reserves prepared by an independent engineering consultant. Such estimates are subject to numerous uncertainties inherent in the estimation of quantities of proven reserves. Estimated reserves are used in the calculation of depletion, depreciation and amortization, unevaluated property costs, impairment of oil and natural gas properties, estimated future net cash flows, taxes, and contingencies. Liquidity The primary sources of liquidity have historically been issuances of common stock and operations. Until we become cash flow positive, we anticipate that our primary sources of liquidity will be from the issuance of debt and/or equity, and the sale of oil and natural gas property participation interest. Assuming there are no further changes in expected sales and expense trends subsequent to August 8, 2016, the Company believes that its cash position together with anticipated financing activities, which include the sale of our office building and land, will be sufficient to continue operations for the foreseeable future. Oil and Gas Property and Equipment Depreciation, depletion and amortization, based on cost less estimated salvage value of the asset, are primarily determined under either the unit-of-production method or the straight-line method, which is based on estimated asset service life taking obsolescence into consideration. Maintenance and repairs, including planned major maintenance, are expensed as incurred. Major renewals and improvements are capitalized and the assets replaced are retired. Capitalized exploratory drilling and development costs associated with productive depletable extractive properties are amortized using unit-of-production rates based on the amount of proved developed reserves of oil and gas that are estimated to be recoverable from existing facilities using current operating methods. Under the unit-of-production method, oil and gas volumes are considered produced once they have been measured through meters at custody transfer or sales transaction points at the outlet valve on the lease or field storage tank. Proved oil and gas properties held and used by Royale Energy are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Royale Energy estimates the future undiscounted cash flows of the affected properties to judge the recoverability of carrying amounts. Cash flows used in impairment evaluations are developed using annually updated evaluation assumptions for crude oil commodity prices. Annual volumes are based on field production profiles, which are also updated annually. Prices for natural gas and other products are based on assumptions developed annually for evaluation purposes. Impairment analysis are generally based on proved reserves. An asset group would be impaired if the undiscounted cash flows were less than its carrying value. Impairments are measured by the amount the carrying value exceeds fair value. During the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, impairment losses of $60,237 and $12,681, respectively, were recorded on various capitalized lease and land costs that were no longer viable. Significant unproved properties are assessed for impairment individually, and valuation allowances against the capitalized costs are recorded based on the estimated economic chance of success and the length of time that Royale Energy expects to hold the properties. The valuation allowances are reviewed at least annually Upon the sale or retirement of a complete field of a proved property, Royale Energy eliminates the cost from its books, and the resultant gain or loss is recorded to Royale Energy’s Statement of Operations. Upon the sale of an entire interest in an unproved property where the property has been assessed for impairment individually, a gain or loss is recognized in Royale Energy’s Statement of Operations. If a partial interest in an unproved property is sold, any funds received are accounted for as a recovery of the cost in the interest retained with any excess funds recognized as a gain. Should Royale Energy’s turnkey drilling agreements include unproved property, total drilling costs incurred to satisfy its obligations are recovered by the total funds received under the agreements. Any excess funds are recorded as a Gain on Turnkey Drilling Programs, and any costs not recovered are capitalized and accounted for under the “successful efforts” method. Royale Energy sponsors turnkey drilling agreement arrangements in unproved properties as a pooling of assets in a joint undertaking, whereby proceeds from participants are reported as Deferred Drilling Obligations, and then reduced as costs to complete its obligations are incurred with any excess booked against its property account to reduce any basis in its own interest. Gains on Turnkey Drilling Programs represent funds received from turnkey drilling participants in excess of all costs Royale incurs during the drilling programs (e.g., lease acquisition, exploration and development costs), including costs incurred on behalf of participants and costs incurred for its own account; and are recognized only upon making this determination after Royale’s obligations have been fulfilled. The contracts require the participants pay Royale Energy the full contract price upon execution of the agreement. Royale Energy completes the drilling activities typically between 10 and 30 days after drilling begins. The participant retains an undivided or proportional beneficial interest in the property, and is also responsible for its proportionate share of operating costs. Royale Energy retains legal title to the lease. The participants purchase a working interest directly in the well bore. In these working interest arrangements, the participants are responsible for sharing in the risk of development, but also sharing in a proportional interest in rights to revenues and proportional liability for the cost of operations after drilling is completed and the interest is conveyed to the participant. A certain portion of the turnkey drilling participant’s funds received are non-refundable. The company holds all funds invested as Deferred Drilling Obligations until drilling is complete. Occasionally, drilling is delayed due to the permitting process or drilling rig availability. At June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, Royale Energy had Deferred Drilling Obligations of $7,649,443 and $8,415,528, respectively. If Royale Energy is unable to drill the wells, and a suitable replacement well is not found, Royale would retain the non-refundable portion of the contact and return the remaining funds to the participant. Included in cash are amounts for use in completion of turnkey drilling programs in progress. Losses on properties sold are recognized when incurred or when the properties are held for sale and the fair value of the properties is less than the carrying value. Cash Cash includes cash on hand and on deposit. Other Receivables Our other receivables consists of receivables from direct working interest investors and industry partners. We provide for uncollectible accounts receivable using the allowance method of accounting for bad debts. Under this method of accounting, a provision for uncollectible accounts is charged directly to bad debt expense when it becomes probable the receivable will not be collected. The allowance account is increased or decreased based on past collection history and management’s evaluation of accounts receivable. All amounts considered uncollectible are charged against the allowance account and recoveries of previously charged off accounts are added to the allowance. At June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the Company had an allowance for uncollectable accounts of $2,270,773 and $2,270,773, respectively, for receivables from direct working interest investors whose expenses on non-producing wells were unlikely to be collected from revenue. Revenue Receivables Our revenue receivables consists of receivables related to the sale of our natural gas and oil. Once a production month is completed we receive payment approximately 15 to 30 days later. Equipment and Fixtures Equipment and fixtures are stated at cost and depreciated over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from three to seven years, using the straight-line method. Repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred. When assets are sold or retired, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in income. Maintenance and repairs, which neither materially add to the value of the property nor appreciably prolong its life, are charged to expense as incurred. Gains or losses on dispositions of property and equipment, other than oil and gas, are reflected in operations. Fair Value Measurements According to Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures Topic of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring and nonrecurring basis in period subsequent to initial recognition, the reporting entity shall disclose information that enable users of its financial statements to assess the inputs used to develop those measurements and for recurring fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs, the effect of the measurements on earnings for the period. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In determining fair value, the Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible as well as considers counterparty credit risk in its assessment of fair value. Carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, approximate their fair values as of the balance sheet dates because of their generally short maturities. The fair value hierarchy distinguishes between (1) market participant assumptions developed based on market data obtained from independent sources (observable inputs) and (2) an entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available in the circumstances (unobservable inputs). The fair value hierarchy consists of three broad levels, which gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below: Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for assets or liabilities. Level 2: Directly or indirectly observable inputs as of the reporting date through correlation with market data, including quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets and quoted prices in markets that are not active. Level 2 also includes assets and liabilities that are valued using models or other pricing methodologies that do not require significant judgment since the input assumptions used in the models, such as interest rates and volatility factors, are corroborated by readily observable data from actively quoted markets for substantially the full term of the financial instrument. Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and reflect the use of significant management judgment. These values are generally determined using pricing models for which the assumptions utilize management’s estimates of market participant assumptions. At June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, Royale Energy did not have any financial assets measured and recognized at fair value on a recurring basis. The Company estimates asset retirement obligations pursuant to the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 410, " Asset Retirement and Environmental Obligations" Reclassifications Certain items in the financial statements have been reclassified to maintain consistency and comparability for all periods presented herein. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements The Company has reviewed the updates issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) during the six months ended June 30, 2016: ASU 2016-01: Financial Instruments – Overall – Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (Subtopic 825-10) In January 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-01 which requires an entity to: (i) measure equity investments at fair value through net income, with certain exceptions; (ii) present in Other Comprehensive Income the changes in instrument-specific credit risk for financial liabilities measured using the fair value option; (iii) present financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset; (iv) calculate the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes based on an exit price and; (v) assess a valuation allowance on deferred tax assets related to unrealized losses of AFS debt securities in combination with other deferred tax assets. The Update provides an election to subsequently measure certain nonmarketable equity investments at cost less any impairment and adjusted for certain observable price changes. The Update also requires a qualitative impairment assessment of such equity investments and amends certain fair value disclosure requirements. The new standard becomes effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is only permitted for the provision related to instrument-specific credit risk and the fair value disclosure exemption provided to nonpublic entities. The Company is currently evaluating the effects of adopting ASU 2016-01 on its consolidated financial statements but the adoption is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. ASU No. 2016-02: Leases (Topic 842). In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02 which aims to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and requiring disclosure of key information about leasing agreements. Entities are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effects of adopting ASU 2016-02 on its consolidated financial statements but the adoption is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. ASU 2016-09: Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share- Based Payment Accounting. In March 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-09 which amends several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities and classification on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. If early adopted, an entity must adopt all of the amendments in the same period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2016-09 on the Company's financial statements. |
