CONFORMED COPY





                  QUARTERLY REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
                    OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                                 UNITED STATES
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 20549

                                   FORM 10-Q



           [X] Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                    the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934
                      For the period ended March 31, 2000

                                      or

           [ ] Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 of 15(d) of
                   the Securities and Exchange Act of  1934
               For the transition period from         to




                      Commission file number 033-63635-04

               I.R.S. Employer Identification Number 55-0751154

                        PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

                     (A West Virginia Limited Partnership)
                             103 East Main Street
                             Bridgeport, WV 26330
                           Telephone: (304) 842-6256

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports
required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such
filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes     XX       No


                        PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
                     (A West Virginia Limited Partnership)


                                     INDEX



PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION                                    Page No.

  Item 1.  Financial Statements

           Balance Sheets - March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999       1

           Statements of Operations -
            Three Months Ended March 31, 2000 and 1999                 2

           Statement of Partners' Equity -
            Three Months Ended March 31, 2000                          3

           Statements of Cash Flows-
            Three Months Ended March 31, 2000 and 1999                 4

           Notes to Financial Statements                               5

  Item 2.  Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
           Condition and Results of Operations                         6

PART II    OTHER INFORMATION

  Item 1.  Legal Proceedings                                           7

  Item 6.  Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K                            7













                        PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
                     (A West Virginia Limited Partnership)

                                Balance Sheets

                     March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999




<TABLE>
<C>                                             <C>                <C>
  Assets
                                                   2000                1999
                                                (Unaudited)

Current assets:
  Cash                                          $    2,017            2,017
  Accounts receivable - oil and gas revenues       182,120          205,111

           Total current assets                    184,137          207,128

Oil and gas properties, successful
 efforts method                                  7,451,534        7,451,534
      Less accumulated depreciation,
       depletion, and amortization               3,221,856        3,122,319
                                                 4,229,678        4,329,215

                                                $4,413,815        4,536,343


      Current Liabilities and Partners' Equity

Current liabilities:
      Accrued expenses                          $   24,035           31,376

           Total current liabilities                24,035           31,376


Partners' Equity                                 4,389,780        4,504,967

                                                $4,413,815        4,536,343
</TABLE>
See accompanying notes to financial statements.








                                      -1-

                        PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
                     (A West Virginia Limited Partnership)

                           Statements of Operations

                  Three months ended March 31, 2000 and 1999
                                  (Unaudited)

<TABLE>
<C>                                               <C>            <C>
                                                    2000           1999


Revenues:
    Sales of oil and gas                          $ 285,374      233,099
    Interest income                                    -           1,388
                                                    285,374      234,487

Expenses:
    Lifting cost                                    111,258      124,707
    Direct administration cost                         -               7
    Depreciation, depletion, and amortization        99,537      105,006
                                                    210,795      229,720

      Net income                                   $ 74,579        4,767

      Net income per limited and additional
        general partner unit                       $     78            5

</TABLE>
See accompanying notes to financial statements.






















                                      -2-

                        PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
                     (A West Virginia Limited Partnership)

                         Statement of Partners' Equity

                       Three months ended March 31, 2000
                                  (Unaudited)



<TABLE>
<C>                             <C>              <C>            <C>
                                Limited and
                                additional       Managing
                                general partners general partner   Total

Balance, December 31, 1999        $3,534,155        970,812     4,504,967

Net income                            59,664         14,915        74,579
Distributions to partners           (151,814)       (37,952)     (189,766)

      Balance, March 31, 2000     $3,442,005        947,775     4,389,780

</TABLE>
See accompanying notes to financial statements.



























                                      -3-

                        PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
                     (A West Virginia Limited Partnership)

                           Statements of Cash Flows

                  Three months ended March 31, 2000 and 1999
                                  (Unaudited)
<TABLE>
<C>                                               <C>                <C>
                                                     2000            1999

Cash flows from operating activities:
  Net income                                      $ 74,579           4,767
  Adjustments to reconcile net income
   to net cash provided by operating activities:
      Depreciation, depletion, and
       amortization                                 99,537         105,006
      Changes in operating assets and
       liabilities:
      Decrease in accounts receivable -
       oil and gas revenues                         22,991          89,184
      Decrease in accounts payable                  (7,341)         (8,233)
          Net cash provided by
           operating activities                    189,766         190,724

Cash flow from financing activities:
  Distributions to partners                       (189,766)       (189,342)
           Net cash used by financing activities  (189,766)       (189,342)

Net change in cash                                    -              1,382
Cash at beginning of period                          2,017           6,712
Cash at end of period                            $   2,017           8,094

</TABLE>
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
















                                      -4-
                        PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
                     (A West Virginia Limited Partnership)

                        Notes to Financial Statements
                                  (Unaudited)



1.  Accounting Policies

    Reference is hereby made to the Partnership's Annual Report on Form 10-K
    for 1999, which contains a summary of significant accounting policies
    followed by the Partnership in the preparation of its financial statements.
    These policies were also followed in preparing the quarterly report
    included herein.

2.  Basis of Presentation

    The Management of the Partnership believes that all adjustments (consisting
    of only normal recurring accruals) necessary to a fair statement of the
    results of such periods have been made.  The results of operations for the
    three months ended March 31, 2000 are not necessarily indicative of the
    results to be expected for the full year.

3.  Oil and Gas Properties

    The Partnership follows the successful efforts method of accounting for the
    cost of exploring for and developing oil and gas reserves.  Under this
    method, costs of development wells, including equipment and intangible
    drilling costs related to both producing wells and developmental dry holes,
    and successful exploratory wells are capitalized and amortized on an annual
    basis to operations by the units-of-production method using estimated
    proved developed reserves which will be determined at year end by an
    independent petroleum engineer.  If a determination is made that an
    exploratory well has not discovered economically producible reserves, then
    its costs are expensed as dry hole costs.
















                                      -5-

Item 2.  Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
         Results of Operations

    Liquidity and Capital Resources

         The Partnership was funded on December 31, 1996 with initial Limited
    and Additional General Partner contributions of $15,301,726 and the
    Managing General Partner contributed $3,328,126 in accordance with the
    Agreement.  Syndication and management fee costs of $1,989,224 were
    incurred leaving available capital of $16,640,628 for Partnership
    activities.

         The Partnership began exploration and development activities
    subsequent to the funding of the Partnership and completed well drilling
    activities by March 31, 1997.  Eighty-four wells have been drilled, of
    which seventy-nine have been completed as producing wells.

         Operations will be conducted with available funds and revenues
    generated from oil and gas activities.  No bank borrowings are anticipated.

         The Partnership had net working capital at March 31, 2000 of $160,102.

         The Partnership's revenues from oil and gas will be affected by
    changes in prices.  As a result of changes in federal regulations, gas
    prices are highly dependent on the balance between supply and demand.  The
    Partnership's gas sales prices are subject to increase and decrease based
    on various market sensitive indices.

    Results of Operations

         Sales of oil and gas increased 22.43% during the first quarter of 2000
    compared to 1999 due to higher average sales prices of natural gas.  While
    the Partnership experienced a modest net income of $74,579, depreciation,
    depletion and amortization is a non-cash expense and therefore the
    partnership distributed $189,766 to the partners during the first quarter
    of 2000.

    Year 2000 Issue

         PDC, who administers all aspects of the Partnership, experienced no
    known disruptions as a result of the year date change and intends to
    continue monitoring its critical systems at various other date changes
    during the Year 2000.

         PDC's expenditures for addressing Year 2000 issues were not material,
    nor does the Company expect to incur any significant costs addressing Year
    2000 issues in the future.




                                      -6-

                                                               CONFORMED COPY

                         PART II - OTHER INFORMATION


Item 1.  Legal Proceedings

         None.

Item 6.  Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

         (a) None.

         (b) No reports on Form 8-K have been filed during the quarter ended
             March 31, 2000.



                                  SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


                                              PDC 1996-D Limited Partnership
                                                      (Registrant)

                                              By its Managing General Partner
                                              Petroleum Development Corporation




Date:  May 12, 2000                             /s/ Steven R. Williams
                                                    Steven R. Williams
                                                       President


Date:  May 12, 2000                             /s/ Dale G. Rettinger
                                                    Dale G. Rettinger
                                                 Executive Vice President
                                                     and Treasurer









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