The planning fee is an integral part of the Spatial Planning and Development Act. The aim of the article is to examine the real income generated for local governments by the planning fee and to propose changes that would improve its collection. An example is the municipality of Tarnowo Podgórne, which, as a suburban area, is struggling with dynamic residential urbanization and excessive industrial development. The collected data allowed for a quantitative comparison of the number of decisions issued regarding the collected fee and decisions on the potential value of the planning fee before the sale of real estate. The article compares three local spatial development plans for which decisions were issued, thereby illustrating the real incomes generated by the planning fee. The analysis of the presented results opens a discussion on the role of the planning fee as a tool supporting the municipality’s budget. The conclusions indicate the need for changes in the legal regulations as well as the ways in which local government units operate. As a result, a decision is made to establish a one-time fee for the increase in the value of real estate, i.e. the planning fee.