Radiologic Technologist Licensing by State
Last updated July 26, 2026
ARRT certification is a national credential that shows a radiologic technologist has met set education, ethics, and examination standards, but it is not the same as permission to practice. That permission comes from each state separately, under names that vary — license, certification, accreditation, registration, or permit — and thirteen jurisdictions issue no individual credential at all. The table below covers all fifty states plus the District of Columbia: whether a state credential is required, which agency issues it, and the nuance worth knowing, with each row verified against the state's own statutes, boards, or health departments.
Always confirm with your state licensing board. Licensing rules change often — fees, renewal cycles, and even whether a credential is required can move in a single legislative session. This table is a verified starting point, not legal or licensing advice.
ARRT certification versus a state credential
ARRT certification comes from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, a private national organization. It confirms that a technologist has met a consistent standard across education, ethics, and examination for a named discipline such as radiography, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging. It is recognized nationwide, but on its own it does not grant the legal right to work in a given state.
A state credential is different. It is permission from a state government to practice within that state, and the rules are set by state law rather than by a national body. Most states that credential radiologic technologists accept ARRT certification, or a passing score on the ARRT examination, as the basis for the credential. Some states add their own application steps or continuing education rules, and many issue limited permits for specific exam types rather than a full credential. States also differ in what they call the credential itself: most say license, while California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Washington, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Delaware run certification programs, Illinois calls its credential an accreditation, Mississippi registers technologists, and Iowa issues a permit to practice. The name matters less than the rule: in all thirty-eight of those states, practicing without the credential is against state law.
Two more things the patchwork does not change. Mammography is governed federally under MQSA in every state, so even where no state credential exists, mammography personnel standards still apply. And because no interstate compact exists for radiologic technologists, working across state lines means meeting each state's requirements separately, every time.
Licensing by state
| State | Licenses rad techs? | Licensing board or agency | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No | None for personnel (ADPH regulates equipment and facilities) | No state credential for radiographers. ARRT certification is the de facto hiring standard; licensure campaigns have not passed. | — |
| Alaska | No | None for personnel | Repeated licensure bills have been introduced without passing. ARRT certification is the de facto hiring standard. | — |
| Arizona | Yes — certification | Arizona Dept. of Health Services, Bureau of Radiation Control | CRT certificate; ARRT (or NMTCB) accepted; limited category exists. | Official source |
| Arkansas | Yes — license | Arkansas Dept. of Health, Radiologic Technology Licensure Program | Several credential types including limited-scope; ARRT pathway for full licensure. | Official source |
| California | Yes — certification | California Dept. of Public Health, Radiologic Health Branch | CRT certificate; ARRT exam accepted in lieu of the state exam; separate fluoroscopy permit; limited-permit categories. | Official source |
| Colorado | No | CDPHE Radiation Control Program (equipment; limited-scope operator tiers register with the state) | ARRT-registered technologists need no separate state operator registration; limited-scope operators take a state test and register. | Official source |
| Connecticut | Yes — license | Connecticut Dept. of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing | ARRT exam pathway; annual renewal; nuclear medicine technologists licensed separately. | Official source |
| Delaware | Yes — certification | Authority on Radiation Protection, administered by the Office of Radiation Control (DHSS) | National-credential-based certification with a four-year term — the longest cycle in the country. | Official source |
| District of Columbia | No | None for personnel | No district credential; ARRT certification is the hiring standard. Working across the line into Maryland or Virginia requires those states’ credentials. | — |
| Florida | Yes — certification | Florida Dept. of Health (MQA), Radiologic Technology | State certificate with the exam administered through ARRT; limited basic X-ray machine operator category. | Official source |
| Georgia | No | None for radiographers (nuclear medicine technologists and radiation therapists are state-certified) | ARRT certification is the hiring standard for radiographers; a statewide radiation-safety training rule applies. The 2026 radiologist assistant act covers RAs only. | — |
| Hawaii | Yes — license | Hawaii Dept. of Health, Radiologic Technology Board | Current ARRT registration in good standing is required; biennial cycle. | Official source |
| Idaho | No | None for personnel (DHW regulates X-ray facilities) | No individual credential; ARRT certification is the hiring standard. | Official source |
| Illinois | Yes — accreditation | IEMA-OHS, Division of Nuclear Safety | Styled “accreditation” under the Radiation Protection Act; ARRT underpins the full tier; limited categories exist. | Official source |
| Indiana | Yes — license | Indiana Dept. of Health, Radiology program | ARRT-approved program and exam; limited-scope categories; out-of-state licenses are not accepted by reciprocity. | Official source |
| Iowa | Yes — permit | Iowa HHS, Bureau of Radiological Health | Permit to practice (the state’s term); national-credential pathway; limited radiologic technologist categories. | Official source |
| Kansas | Yes — license | Kansas State Board of Healing Arts | Board-approved examination (ARRT accepted in practice); annual renewal. | Official source |
| Kentucky | Yes — license | Kentucky Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy | ARRT pathway with no separate state exam for radiographers; annual renewal; limited tier exists. Practice-standards rules were in a 2026 update cycle. | Official source |
| Louisiana | Yes — license | Louisiana State Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners | Per-category licenses; ARRT (or NMTCB) accepted in lieu of the board exam; a limited X-ray machine operator permit was established in 2025. | Official source |
| Maine | Yes — license | Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners (OPOR) | ARRT certification or a board-approved program and exam; limited radiographer category; biennial renewal. | Official source |
| Maryland | Yes — license | Maryland Board of Physicians (Allied Health) | ARRT-recognized program plus current registration; separate licenses for therapists, nuclear medicine technologists, and RAs. | Official source |
| Massachusetts | Yes — license | Massachusetts DPH, Radiation Control Program | ARRT (or NMTCB) verification across many modality categories; a limited-scope pathway was being established in 2026. | Official source |
| Michigan | No | None (LARA regulates equipment; mammography personnel per federal MQSA) | No license or registration. 2024 operator education and training rules phase in through about 2027 — standards, not licensure, per the state. | Official source |
| Minnesota | No | MDH Radiation Control (a statutory exam mandate applies; no credential is issued) | State law requires passing a national or state exam — ARRT qualifies — but no Minnesota credential exists for ARRT-certified techs. Limited-scope operators register with MDH. | Official source |
| Mississippi | Yes — registration | Mississippi State Dept. of Health | Registration (the state’s term) via the ARRT pathway; biennial cycle; radiologist assistants licensed separately. | Official source |
| Missouri | No | None (DHSS regulates equipment and facilities) | No operator license exists; ARRT certification is the hiring standard. Licensure pushes recur without passing. | Official source |
| Montana | Yes — license | Montana Board of Radiologic Technologists (Dept. of Labor & Industry) | ARRT Radiography credential pathway; annual renewal; limited permits for board-approved course graduates. | Official source |
| Nebraska | Yes — license | Nebraska DHHS, Medical Radiography licensure | ARRT-based examination; biennial renewal in even-numbered years. | Official source |
| Nevada | Yes — license | Nevada DPBH Radiation Control Program | Full licensure regime (stood up ~2020–21); ARRT pathway; limited licenses and rural authorizations exist. | Official source |
| New Hampshire | Yes — license | NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Advisory Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy | Radiographer license required — and NH licenses a broader modality set than most states (sonography, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, and more). | Official source |
| New Jersey | Yes — license | NJ Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners (DEP) | ARRT exam accepted; a state exam exists for ARRT-ineligible applicants; limited-category licenses. | Official source |
| New Mexico | Yes — license | NM Environment Dept., Radiation Control Bureau (Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Program) | Licenses issued per modality; ARRT or state exams accepted. | Official source |
| New York | Yes — license | NYS Dept. of Health, Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection | License through the health department (not the education department); ARRT exam pathway; separate certification to inject contrast. | Official source |
| North Carolina | No | None (machines are registered; operators are not licensed) | Pending legislation: a licensure bill passed the NC House unanimously in 2025 and sits in the Senate. Not law yet — worth watching. | — |
| North Dakota | Yes — license | ND Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board | One of the broadest modality scopes in the country (including sonography and MRI); one fee covers multiple modalities; biennial renewal. | Official source |
| Ohio | Yes — license | Ohio Dept. of Health, Radiologic Licensure | ARRT exam is the licensure exam; limited GXMO category; active ARRT satisfies continuing education. | Official source |
| Oklahoma | No | None for radiographers (radiologist assistants are state-licensed) | Recurring licensure bills have died in committee; ARRT certification is the market expectation. | — |
| Oregon | Yes — license | Oregon Board of Medical Imaging | License per modality — including MRI and sonography, broader than most states; limited X-ray permits; employers may not hire unlicensed operators. | Official source |
| Pennsylvania | No | None (facilities regulated by PA DEP) | Pending legislation: HB 2173 (2026) would license imaging professionals across modalities and is advancing with bipartisan sponsorship. Not law yet — worth watching. | — |
| Rhode Island | Yes — license | Rhode Island Department of Health | ARRT certification required; separate license per category; biennial renewal. | Official source |
| South Carolina | Yes — certification | SCRQSA (South Carolina Radiation Quality Standards Association, under state statute) | Certification (the state’s term) via the ARRT pathway; limited tiers via a state exam; the current certificate is posted at the workplace. | Official source |
| South Dakota | No | None for personnel | No state credential; ARRT certification is the hiring standard; limited-scope operators typically train through accredited courses. | — |
| Tennessee | Yes — certification | TN Board of Medical Examiners, X-Ray Operators program | State certification distinct from ARRT registration; full tier is ARRT-based with limited operator tiers. The program moved under the Board of Medical Examiners in 2023 — confirm current details with the board. | Official source |
| Texas | Yes — certification | Texas Medical Board (Medical Radiologic Technologist program) | MRT certificate, general or limited; ARRT-qualifying education applies; Texas jurisprudence exam. | Official source |
| Utah | Yes — license | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) | ARRT or NMTCB certification is the pathway; a limited radiology practical technician tier exists. | Official source |
| Vermont | Yes — license | Board of Radiologic Technology, Office of Professional Regulation | ARRT (or board-approved equivalent) pathway; limited radiography licenses with chest or extremities endorsements; biennial renewal. | Official source |
| Virginia | Yes — license | Virginia Board of Medicine (Dept. of Health Professions) | ARRT pathway; limited and RA licenses exist. Statutory exemption: employees of licensed hospitals acting within their employment scope — confirm with the board for hospital roles. | Official source |
| Washington | Yes — certification | Washington State Dept. of Health | Certified radiologic technologist categories across modalities (ARRT pathway) plus a lower-tier registered X-ray technician. | Official source |
| West Virginia | Yes — license | WV Medical Imaging & Radiation Therapy Technology Board of Examiners | National-credential pathway; the scope spans medical imaging broadly, including MRI and radiation therapy. | Official source |
| Wisconsin | Yes — license | Radiography Examining Board, Wisconsin DSPS | Active ARRT accepted as exam proof; separate limited X-ray machine operator permit. | Official source |
| Wyoming | Yes — license | Wyoming Board of Radiologic Technologist Examiners | Board-approved program required; a restricted (limited) license tier exists. | Official source |
Always confirm with your state licensing board. Licensing rules change often, and several states had active rulemaking or pending legislation when this table was verified. Check the official source linked in each row before you rely on it.
KEY FACTS
- ARRT certification is a national credential, while permission to practice is granted state by state — and the state credential is variously titled a license, certification, accreditation, registration, or permit.
- Thirty-eight states require an individual state credential for radiographers; thirteen jurisdictions (including DC) have no individual requirement, and there ARRT certification is the de facto hiring standard.
- Most states that credential radiologic technologists accept ARRT certification, or a passing score on the ARRT examination, as the basis for the credential.
- Mammography is federally governed under MQSA in every state, so no-license states are not no-rules states.
- No interstate compact exists for radiologic technologists, so a technologist working across state lines meets each state’s requirements separately.
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