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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Regulatory Rate Filings) (Details) (USD $) | 0 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended |  |  |  |
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Nov. 07, 2014 | Sep. 29, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2014 | Aug. 14, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2013 | Oct. 03, 2013 | Jan. 05, 2015
Public Utilities General Disclosures [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Water Reduction Target Goal, Percentage |  |  | 20.00%sjw_WaterReductionTargetGoalPercentage |  |  |  |
Regulatory Rate Filings, Authorized Rate Increase, Authorized Revenue, Year One |  |  |  | $ 22,102,000sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsAuthorizedRateIncreaseAuthorizedRevenueYearOne |  |  |
Regulatory Rate Filings, Authorized Rate Increase, Percent of Authorized Revenue, Year One |  |  |  | 9.81%sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsAuthorizedRateIncreasePercentofAuthorizedRevenueYearOne |  |  |
Regulatory Rate Filings, Authorized Rate Increase, Authorized Revenue, Year Two |  |  |  | 13,274,000sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsAuthorizedRateIncreaseAuthorizedRevenueYearTwo |  |  |
Regulatory Rate Filings, Authorized Rate Increase, Percent of Authorized Revenue, Year Two |  |  |  | 5.21%sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsAuthorizedRateIncreasePercentofAuthorizedRevenueYearTwo |  |  |
Authorized Regulatory Surcharge, Gross |  | 46,697,000sjw_AuthorizedRegulatorySurchargeGross |  |  |  |  |
Authorized Regulatory Surcharge, Recovery Period |  | 3 years | 3 years |  |  |  |
Authorized Regulatory Surcharge, Per CCF |  | 0.2888sjw_AuthorizedRegulatorySurchargePerCCF |  |  |  |  |
Public Utilities, Requested Rate Increase (Decrease), Amount | 8,042,000us-gaap_PublicUtilitiesRequestedRateIncreaseDecreaseAmount |  |  |  |  |  |
Public Utilities, Requested Rate Increase (Decrease), Percentage | 2.91%us-gaap_PublicUtilitiesRequestedRateIncreaseDecreasePercentage |  |  |  |  |  |
Public Utilities, Requested Rate Increase (Decrease), Amended, Amount | 8,135,000us-gaap_PublicUtilitiesRequestedRateIncreaseDecreaseAmendedAmount |  |  |  |  |  |
Public Utilities, Requested Rate Increase (Decrease), Amended, Percentage | 2.94%us-gaap_PublicUtilitiesRequestedRateIncreaseDecreaseAmendedPercentage |  |  |  |  |  |
Total increase requested, percentage |  |  |  |  |  | 23.10%sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsIncreaseRequestedPercentOfAuthorizedRevenue |
Regulatory rate filings, requested rate increase, authorized revenue |  |  |  |  |  | 2,400,000sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsRequestedRateIncreaseAuthorizedRevenue |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Abstract] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Net Regulatory Assets |  |  | 174,863,000us-gaap_NetRegulatoryAssets |  | 83,543,000us-gaap_NetRegulatoryAssets |  |
Current regulatory assets, net |  |  | 16,853,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetsCurrent |  | 0us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetsCurrent |  |
Total regulatory assets, net, less current portion |  |  | 158,010,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetsNoncurrent |  | 83,543,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetsNoncurrent |  |
Customer Refund for Over Rate Collections |  | 241,000sjw_CustomerRefundforOverRateCollections |  |  |  |  |
Authorized Regulatory Surcharge, Net |  | 46,456,000sjw_AuthorizedRegulatorySurchargeNet |  |  |  |  |
Balancing and Memorandum Account, Previously Recorded |  | 2,800,000sjw_BalancingandMemorandumAccountPreviouslyRecorded |  |  |  |  |
Net under-collected balancing and memorandum accounts |  |  | 8,294,000sjw_RegulatoryBalancingandMemorandumAccountsNetUnderCollected |  |  |  |
Threshold of authorized revenue for balancing account or memorandum account review (percent) |  |  | 2.00%sjw_RegulatoryBalancingandMemorandumAccountsReviewAuthorizedRevenueThresholdPercentage |  |  |  |
Income tax temporary differences [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Abstract] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Regulatory assets |  |  | 6,731,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssets / us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetAxis = us-gaap_DeferredIncomeTaxChargesMember |  | 8,220,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssets / us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetAxis = us-gaap_DeferredIncomeTaxChargesMember |  |
Postretirement pensions and other medical benefits [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Abstract] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Regulatory assets |  |  | 115,494,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssets / us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetAxis = sjw_PostretirementPensionsAndOtherMedicalBenefitsMember |  | 62,949,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssets / us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetAxis = sjw_PostretirementPensionsAndOtherMedicalBenefitsMember |  |
Balancing and Memorandum Accounts [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Abstract] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Regulatory assets |  |  | 47,061,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssets / us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetAxis = sjw_BalancingandMemorandumAccountsMember |  | 7,689,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssets / us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetAxis = sjw_BalancingandMemorandumAccountsMember |  |
Other Regulatory Assets [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Abstract] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Regulatory assets |  |  | 5,577,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssets / us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetAxis = sjw_OtherRegulatoryAssetsMember |  | 4,685,000us-gaap_RegulatoryAssets / us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetAxis = sjw_OtherRegulatoryAssetsMember |  |
Subsequent Event [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Public Utilities General Disclosures [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Regulatory Rate Filings, Proposed Rate Increase, Authorized Revenue, Year One |  |  |  |  |  |  | 34,928,000sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsRequestedRateIncreaseYearOne / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Regulatory Rate Filings, Requested Rate Increase as Percentage of Total Revenue at Time of Request, Year One |  |  |  |  |  |  | 12.22%sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsRequestedRateIncreaseasPercentageofTotalRevenueatTimeofRequestYearOne / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Requested rate increase for 2017 |  |  |  |  |  |  | 9,954,000sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsRequestedRateIncreaseYearTwo / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Regulatory Rate Filings, Proposed Rate Increase, Percent of Authorized Revenue, Year Two |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3.11%sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsProposedRateIncreasePercentofAuthorizedRevenueYearTwo / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Requested rate increase for 2018 |  |  |  |  |  |  | 17,567,000sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsRequestedRateIncreaseYearThree / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Requested rate increase for 2018 as percentage of total revenue at time of request |  |  |  |  |  |  | 5.36%sjw_RegulatoryRateFilingsRequestedRateIncreasePercentOfAuthorizedRevenueYearThree / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Balancing Account, Recovery Request |  |  |  |  |  |  | 4,752,000sjw_BalancingAccountRecoveryRequest / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Amount of net over-collection requested to be refunded to customers |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ 976,000sjw_MemorandumAccountRecoveryRequest / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember

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- Definition The net amount of all regulatory assets less all regulatory liabilities as of the end of the period. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 980 -SubTopic 340 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6499975&loc=d3e44250-110382 + Details
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- Definition Carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of capitalized costs of regulated entities that are expected to be recovered through revenue sources within one year or the normal operating cycle, if longer. Such costs are capitalized if they meet both of the following criteria: a. It is probable that future revenue in an amount at least equal to the capitalized cost will result from inclusion of that cost in allowable costs for rate-making purposes. b. Based on available evidence, the future revenue will be provided to permit recovery of the previously incurred cost rather than to provide for expected levels of similar future costs. If the revenue will be provided through an automatic rate-adjustment clause, this criterion requires that the regulator's intent clearly be to permit recovery of the previously incurred cost. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 980 -SubTopic 340 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6499975&loc=d3e44250-110382 + Details
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