Arizona Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
Not published
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$100
Renewal: $100 · Temp license available
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
Renewal
24 hours
Every 2 years
State Overview
Arizona licenses radiology as more than a single credential. Alongside the general radiologic technologist license, it recognizes 2 separate base licenses (Radiation Therapist (Radiation Therapy Technologist) and Nuclear Medicine Technologist), plus 2 add-on authorizations (CT Technologist and Mammography Technologist), plus a limited-permit tier (Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (Practical Technologist in Radiology)).
A few other modalities are not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Arizona license. The specialty section below covers each, including where a single-modality candidate may not be placeable.
Across radiology, ARRT certification is the national credential that anchors state licensure. A license you hold in another state does not transfer automatically, so you apply directly to Arizona's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in Arizona, the baseline below applies regardless of where you trained or which modality you work in.
- National certification: an active ARRT credential is the prerequisite the state license is built on. The state credential sits on top of ARRT, not instead of it.
- Credential required: Current ARRT certification in Radiography (or completion of a Department-approved program plus passing exam); minimum age 18.
- Scope of the base license: Apply ionizing radiation to individuals for general diagnostic purposes at the direction of a licensed practitioner; follows ASRT Radiography Practice Standards.
- Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.
Fees & Credentials
Arizona issues more than one radiology credential, so fees vary by what you actually do. The table below is one row per state-recognized credential.
| Credential | Application | Renewal | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiographer / General Radiologic Technologist | $100 | $100 | Every 2 years |
| Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (Practical Technologist in Radiology) | $100 | $100 | Every 2 years |
| CT Technologist | $20 | $20 | Every 2 years |
| Mammography Technologist | $20 | $20 | Every 2 years |
| Radiation Therapist (Radiation Therapy Technologist) | $100 | $100 | Every 2 years |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $100 | $100 | Every 2 years |
There is no state fee line for MRI Technologist, Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound, and Medical Physicist, because Arizona does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
Flat $100 across the technologist family (A.A.C. R9-16-623); a $70 exam fee applies only to non-ARRT applicants.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 2 years, prior to the last day of the license holder's birth month (A-M: even years; N-Z: odd years).
- Continuing education: Arizona sets 24 hours per 2-year cycle, but maintaining an active ARRT certification satisfies the state's CE requirement. If your ARRT credential is current, you do not file separate state CE.
- Radiographer / General Radiologic Technologist CE: 24 CE hours per 2-year cycle.
- Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (Practical Technologist in Radiology) CE: 6 CE hours per 2-year cycle (reduced from the 24 hours required of full radiologic technologists).
- CT Technologist CE: 24 CE hours per 2-year cycle.
- Mammography Technologist CE: 24 CE hours per 2-year cycle.
- Radiation Therapist (Radiation Therapy Technologist) CE: 24 CE hours per 2-year cycle.
- Nuclear Medicine Technologist CE: 24 CE hours per 2-year cycle.
Getting Licensed
Radiology licensure is ARRT-primary, so the path is shorter than the multi-step endorsement other professions run. For most candidates it is four steps:
- Hold the right ARRT credential for the work you will do (Radiography for general x-ray; the matching post-primary credential for a modality the state licenses).
- Complete a board-approved program if the state requires one for your credential.
- Apply to Arizona Medical Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners through the application portal.
- Have ARRT verify your credential to the board directly. You do not self-attest the certification.
Common slip-ups travelers hit here: submitting verification request directly to Arizona board before confirming ARRT has released official transcripts; ARRT verification is the preferred and faster path.
Processing & Timing
Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. Arizona does not publish a standard turnaround for radiology, so plan from recruiter experience rather than a board SLA.
Recommended lead time before your start date is the total runway, and it runs longer than the board's processing window. Start the application as early as you can, because your ARRT verification has to reach the board before it can act.
If you need more than one credential here, for example a base license plus an add-on authorization, they may process as separate items rather than in one pass. Do not assume you can layer the second credential on at the last minute.
Arizona's 4-16 week endorsement timeline and mandatory background check create moderate placement risk. Temporary license availability mitigates time-to-work but requires explicit board approval and cannot exceed 1 year. Assignment start dates must be coordinated carefully to avoid temp license expiration.
Specialty Differences
Most of the radiology family in Arizona runs on the general license. A handful of credentials genuinely diverge, and those are the ones worth reading closely. Below is one subsection per real difference, then roll-up lines for everything else.
Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (Practical Technologist in Radiology)
Divergence: limited-scope tier. Restricted to chest radiography and radiography of the extremities. Prohibited from using fluoroscopy or contrast media.
- Fee: $100 application, $100 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: Completion of a Department-approved radiologic technology program and minimum score of 67% on a Department-administered exam (ASRT Limited X-Ray Machine Operator standards); age 18+
- CE: 6 CE hours per 2-year cycle (reduced from the 24 hours required of full radiologic technologists)
How it differs from the general license: A reduced-scope credential below the full radiographer certificate: limited to chest and extremity radiography with no fluoroscopy or contrast media, and a lighter 6-hour CE obligation.
CT Technologist
Divergence: add-on authorization. Apply ionizing radiation using a CT machine for diagnostic purposes.
- Fee: $20 application, $20 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: Must hold a current Department-issued radiologic technologist OR nuclear medicine technologist certificate, PLUS current ARRT/NMTCB CT certification (or 2 years CT training + 12 hours CT-specific education)
- CE: 24 CE hours per 2-year cycle
How it differs from the general license: Arizona explicitly defines and certifies CT as its own category (A.R.S. 32-2801; AAC R9-16-613), but it cannot stand alone, the applicant must already hold an active radiologic technologist or nuclear medicine certificate, making it an add-on authorization layered on the base credential rather than a fully independent license.
Mammography Technologist
Divergence: add-on authorization. Apply ionizing radiation to the breasts for diagnostic purposes.
- Fee: $20 application, $20 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: Active base radiologic technologist certificate plus ARRT mammography (M) post-primary certification (per the Arizona scheme paralleling the CT add-on structure)
- CE: 24 CE hours per 2-year cycle
How it differs from the general license: Unlike most states where mammography simply follows the general radiographer license, Arizona issues a distinct Mammographic Technologist certificate (A.R.S. 32-2801; AAC fee R9-16-623 at $20). It is an add-on on top of the active base certificate rather than a standalone license.
Radiation Therapist (Radiation Therapy Technologist)
Divergence: separate license. Use radiation on humans for therapeutic purposes; follows ASRT Radiation Therapy Practice Standards.
- Fee: $100 application, $100 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: Current ARRT certification in Radiation Therapy (or Department-approved program + exam); age 18+
- CE: 24 CE hours per 2-year cycle
How it differs from the general license: Issued as its own distinct certificate category under a separate ARRT therapeutic credential, not under the diagnostic radiographer certificate; scope is therapeutic delivery of radiation rather than diagnostic imaging.
Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Divergence: separate license. Use radiopharmaceutical agents on humans for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes only.
- Fee: $100 application, $100 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: Current ARRT (Nuclear Medicine) or NMTCB certification (or Department-approved program + exam); age 18+
- CE: 24 CE hours per 2-year cycle
How it differs from the general license: A separate certificate category recognizing NMTCB (not just ARRT) certification; scope covers radiopharmaceutical administration rather than external-beam diagnostic radiography under the base radiographer certificate.
MRI Technologist
Divergence: no state credential.
How it differs from the general license: Arizona's radiologic technology certification scheme is triggered solely by the use of ionizing radiation (A.R.S. 32-2811). MRI uses no ionizing radiation and is not addressed anywhere in Title 32 Chapter 28 or AAC R9-16, so the state issues no MRI credential. Employers typically credential MRI techs against ARRT(MR) or ARMRIT certification.
Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound
Divergence: no state credential.
How it differs from the general license: Ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation, so it falls outside Arizona's radiologic technology statute (A.R.S. 32-2811). No state sonography credential exists; employers credential against ARDMS/ARRT(S) certification.
Medical Physicist
Divergence: no state credential.
How it differs from the general license: Arizona does not license medical physicists under its radiologic technology chapter (Title 32 Ch. 28). Only a handful of states (commonly TX, FL, HI, NY) license medical physicists; Arizona is not among them. No medical physicist credential appears in A.R.S. 32-2801 or AAC R9-16.
Before you pay: confirm your modality
Within radiology, whether a modality needs its own state credential is not consistent, and it is the thing travelers most often get wrong. MRI, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, sonography, and CT can each be a separate state license in one state, a facility credential checked against your ARRT registration in the next, and nothing extra in a third.
The divergences we verified for Arizona are above. What we cannot see is your specific assignment and the site you land at. Before you submit any application fee for an advanced modality, confirm with your recruiter whether Arizona issues a state credential for it or whether the facility handles that against your certification. We would rather you ask first than pay for something the role never required.
Official Resources
Arizona Medical Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners
Board Website·Application Portal·License Verification
Phone: (602) 364-2079
Frequently Asked Questions
Please note that while Fusion Medical Staffing strives to provide the most current and accurate information, we cannot guarantee the completeness or timeliness of the information provided. Requirements and processes can change frequently. Healthcare professionals are strongly encouraged to verify details directly with Arizona Medical Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners's official website.
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