Rule 38.04 Rules - When not Applicable - Procedure

Here's a plain English summary of Rule 38.04.

This rule fills in the gaps for cases involving statutory and ordinance violations. If Rule 38 does not spell out how to handle a specific situation, the court will follow Rules 19 through 36 instead. These are the general rules that apply to other types of court cases.

The only limit is that those general rules can't be used if they clash with something already stated in Rule 38. In other words, Rule 38 always comes first. Courts only look to the other rules when Rule 38 is silent on an issue.

For someone involved in a case like this, this means the specific rules for your type of violation take priority. But if your situation isn't covered by those specific rules, the court still has a clear set of procedures to follow instead of making things up as it goes.