A councillor in Truro, Cornwall , said it was "like a war out there" with violence breaking out between commuters and residents over parking spaces.
The council said the parking rows were "detrimental to the quality of peoples' lives" and hoped the review would "ease the tension".
Cornwall Council is launching a public consultation ahead of coming up with new plans across the county.
Cllr Fiona Ferguson, Conservative, said drivers were arriving early in the morning to lay claim to street parking and eating breakfast in their cars before throwing the remains out of the window.
She said: "It's like a war out there. Violence has broken out."
Jo Greenslade, from the Kenwyn area of Truro, said she and other residents had been campaigning for seven years to get permit parking.
She says her car has been damaged on several occasions by non-residents squeezing into parking spaces.
The Cornwall Council study, by consultants WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, will look at issues such as residents' parking permits, car park prices and disabled parking.
Bert Biscoe, cabinet member for transport, said: "It is detrimental to the quality of peoples' lives that they are so wound up about where they will park.
"These surveys are trying to find out how we can manage traffic better and ease that tension."
Damage to cars and battles over spaces have prompted a major parking review.