An automatic developing bias control device for an electrophotographic copying machine in which a document image is led onto a photoreceptor through a lens to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor and the electrostatic latent image is visualized into a toner image by a developing device, the automatic developing bias control device operating on the principle of detecting the density of the document image by means of a detecting element disposed inside or outside the optical path, delaying the output detection signal for a predetermined time, and imposing a developing bias potential corresponding to the delayed output detection signal on the developing device to thereby provide copy image quality faithful to the original.