ABSTRACT This paper presents a historical analysis of the Perth Parking Policy (PPP) and associated parking levy, exploring the institutional dynamics in inner-city car parking policy. The analysis draws on a range of archival material and interviews to identify four periods of the policy's history, each characterised by distinct dynamics in institutional logic and patterns of change. Since its introduction in 1999, the core institution of the PPP has endured, withstanding external threats such as COVID-19 and internal dynamics within the policy design. Proposed changes to the policy at the end of historical period investigated here point to the further influence of political dynamics in the PPPs future. The analysis reveals various institutional logics influencing the PPP’s history, highlighting the complex sets of relationships that shape parking policy in inner city areas.