Contesting a parking ticket:

[Daseal]

I'm curious if there's a way to contest a parking ticket without actually showing up to court. It's not overly expensive (50 if paid within 30 days, 75 if paid after) but at this point the principle of the ticket bothers me.

Quick background so you understand why I'm angry about it. I have driven by this spot several times during the day to make sure my initial thoughts were correct, and they were. I pulled into a spot on a sidestreet, but it's very close to one of the main arteries in Arlington. My car was parked in a clearly marked spot (white painted brackets on either side of my vehicle) and was equipped with a parking meter for during the week. I came back with a ticket stating that I was within 15 feet of a hydrant. Now, it was close, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say I WAS within 15 feet of the hydrant. The fact that the county provided me with a clearly marked parking space and a parking meter should alleviate me from the responsibility of being the full 15 feet from a hydrant.

I'd love to hear some feedback about how to contest, if it's worth the time/effort, and if you feel as if I'm completely off base with thinking this ticket should be revoked I'd be interested to hear that as well.