FORM 4 Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person * Lauck Lance   2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol PDC ENERGY, INC. [pdce] 5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) _____ Director _____ 10% Owner __X__ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below) Sr. VP, Corp Development (Last) (First) (Middle) 1775 SHERMAN STREET, SUITE 3000 3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year) 01/16/2013 (Street) DENVER, CO 80203 4. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year) 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line) _X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person (City) (State) (Zip) Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

1.Title of Security (Instr. 3) 2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year) 2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year) 3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8) 4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) 5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4) 6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4) 7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4) Code V Amount (A) or (D) Price Common Stock 01/16/2013   F   1,439 (1) D $ 37.18 59,901 D   Common Stock 01/16/2013   A   11,948 (2) A $ 0 63,849 D   Common Stock               1,180 (3) I 401(k) Plan

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Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)

2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security

3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)

3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)

4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)

5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4, and 5)

6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)

7. Title and Amount of Underlying Securities (Instr. 3 and 4)

8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)

9. Number of Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)

10. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)

11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)

Code

V

(A)

(D)

Date Exercisable

Expiration Date

Title

Amount or Number of Shares

Stock Appreciation Rights (4)

$ 37.18

01/16/2013

A

10,096

01/16/2014

01/16/2023

Common Stock

10,096

$ 0

10,096 (4)

D

Performance Share Rights

(5)

01/16/2013

A

4,820

(5)

12/31/2015

Common Stock

4,820

$ 0

4,820 (5)

D

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address	Relationships
	Director	10% Owner	Officer	Other
Lauck Lance 1775 SHERMAN STREET, SUITE 3000 DENVER, CO 80203			Sr. VP, Corp Development

Signatures

/s/ Lance Lauck		01/18/2013
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date

Explanation of Responses:

*	If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).
**	Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
(1)	Represents shares of common stock surrendered to issuer to cover tax withholding obligation of the reporting person upon vesting of restricted stock pursuant to time-based vesting.
(2)	The common stock vests in three equal installments on January 16, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
(3)	401(k) Plan holdings as of December 31, 2012.
(4)	The SARs become exercisable in three equal installments on January 16, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The participant also holds additional previously awarded SARs subject to different vesting, exercise price and other criteria.
(5)	Each performance share/right represents a contingent right to receive 0-200% of that target number of shares of PDCE common stock. The performance shares/rights vest upon continued employment and achievement of specified thresholds of total shareholder return (TSR) compared to certain peers, as described in the related grant agreements. Participant also holds additional previously awarded performance shares/rights, all subject to different future vesting and performance criteria.

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