Poland, like many other European countries, is dealing with the problem of excessive traffic and the resulting deficit of parking places in the centres of large cities and also increasingly in medium-sized towns. The study’s motivation is to verify what legal instruments the Polish legislator has stipulated in order to increase the rotation of motor vehicles in the centres of medium-sized towns and large cities in Poland. The article analyses parking fees applicable in paid parking zones and downtown paid parking zones. They are the so-called local fees, the introduction and rates of which (up to a statutory maximum limit) rests with the municipality, that is a basic local government unit in Poland. The research method that the article employs involves interpretation of relevant provisions of Polish law. Moreover, empirical research was carried out by means of a verification of the practical dimension of the two said local fees. Polish regional capitals serve as the research sample. It was concluded that all towns investigated have introduced a parking fee in paid parking zones and some have also introduced a parking fee in downtown paid parking zones. The rates of these fees make them be treated as an efficient source of income for these cities. In the long run, these fees are a considerable expense and thus cause some residents to give up using their own vehicles in favour of public transport, which apart from reduction in traffic can have a positive effect on air quality in city centres.