Delaware Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
About 3 weeks
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$50
Renewal: $50
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
Renewal
See details
Every 3 years
State Overview
Delaware licenses radiology as more than a single credential. Alongside the general radiologic technologist license, it recognizes 2 separate base licenses (Radiation Therapist and Nuclear Medicine Technologist), plus an add-on authorization (CT Technologist), plus a limited-permit tier (Limited-Scope X-ray Operator).
A few other modalities are not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Delaware 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 Delaware's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in Delaware, 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: ARRT (or equivalent national credential) in radiography, maintained in good standing.
- Scope of the base license: Use of a source of radiation on humans for diagnostic radiography. Delaware law bars anyone other than a Licensed Practitioner or a Certified Radiation Technologist/Technician from using a source of radiation on humans.
- Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.
Fees & Credentials
Delaware 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 Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist | $10 | $50 | Every 3 years |
| Radiation Therapist | $10 | $50 | Every 3 years |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $10 | $50 | Every 3 years |
| Limited-Scope X-ray Operator | $110 | $50 | Every 3 years |
There is no state fee line for MRI Technologist, Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound, and Medical Physicist, because Delaware does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
Flat $50 (16 Del. Admin. Code 4466-6.0). It is not $10 — that is the dental-radiography fee.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 3 years, based on date of original certification.
- Continuing education: your CE is whatever ARRT requires to keep your credential active. Delaware does not appear to add its own hour mandate for the general license.
- Radiographer / General Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist CE: No state-mandated continuing education. Renewal is contingent on maintaining a valid national credential (ARRT/NMTCB/CCI), and CE is effectively governed by the national certifying body, not Delaware.
- Radiation Therapist CE: No separate state CE; renewal tied to maintaining the ARRT(T) national credential.
- Nuclear Medicine Technologist CE: No separate state CE; renewal tied to maintaining the NMTCB/ARRT(N) national credential.
- Limited-Scope X-ray Operator CE: No state CE; the limited-scope certificate is maintained by renewal rather than ongoing CE.
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 Delaware Authority on Radiation Protection 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 ARRT verification directly to applicant instead of requesting board-to-board verification, causing rejection for improper credential documentation format.
Processing & Timing
Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. In Delaware: About 3 weeks. Boards rarely publish a guaranteed turnaround, so treat this as a planning number rather than a promise.
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.
Delaware requires permanent licensure before work begins with no temporary license option. The 3-6 week processing window combined with credential verification delays creates moderate assignment risk; missing the 8-10 week lead time window substantially increases likelihood of start date conflicts.
Specialty Differences
Most of the radiology family in Delaware 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.
CT Technologist
Divergence: add-on authorization. Computed tomography. Covered under the radiographer certificate for primary radiographers; a dedicated 'CT only' post-primary certificate exists for nuclear medicine / radiation therapy technologists.
- Credential: Base radiographer certificate covers CT; the separate 'CT only' certificate requires a primary NMTCB/ARRT nuclear-medicine or radiation-therapy credential plus a post-primary CT exam
How it differs from the general license: A primary radiographer does not need a separate CT credential. The only stand-alone CT certificate Delaware defines ('Medical radiologic technologist - CT only') is an add-on for nuclear medicine or radiation therapy technologists who need x-ray/CT scope for hybrid imaging like PET/CT; it is not a separate license for general rad techs.
MRI Technologist
Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging uses no ionizing radiation and therefore falls outside the Office of Radiation Control's authority over sources of radiation.
How it differs from the general license: Delaware's certification scheme regulates only the use of sources of radiation on humans. MRI is not defined as a certificate category in 16 Del. Admin. Code 4466 and is not certified by the Office of Radiation Control; employers credential MRI techs against ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT certification.
Radiation Therapist
Divergence: separate license. Therapeutic use of sources of radiation. 'Radiation therapy / radiation therapist' is a defined term and a recognized primary national-credential category in Delaware.
- Fee: $10 application, $50 renewal, every 3 years
- Credential: ARRT in radiation therapy (primary credential), maintained in good standing
- CE: No separate state CE; renewal tied to maintaining the ARRT(T) national credential
How it differs from the general license: Radiation therapy is its own primary credential category, not part of the diagnostic radiographer scope. It is certified on a distinct national credential (ARRT therapy) rather than the radiography credential, though it uses the same R16-N application and fee structure.
Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Divergence: separate license. Use of radiopharmaceuticals / nuclear medicine imaging. 'Nuclear medicine technologist' is a defined term and a recognized primary national-credential category in Delaware.
- Fee: $10 application, $50 renewal, every 3 years
- Credential: NMTCB or ARRT in nuclear medicine (primary credential), maintained in good standing
- CE: No separate state CE; renewal tied to maintaining the NMTCB/ARRT(N) national credential
How it differs from the general license: Nuclear medicine is its own primary credential category certified on the NMTCB (or ARRT nuclear medicine) credential rather than the radiography credential. It is also the base credential from which Delaware's post-primary 'CT only' and 'bone densitometry only' certificates are issued.
Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound
Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation and is not a defined certificate category in Delaware's radiation-control scheme.
How it differs from the general license: Sonography is not certified by the Office of Radiation Control because it does not involve a source of radiation. No sonographer/ultrasound (ARDMS/CCI vascular) certificate category appears in 16 Del. Admin. Code 4466; employers credential sonographers against ARDMS or CCI certification. (CCI is listed among accepted credentialing bodies, but in this scheme that maps to radiation-using cardiovascular roles, not standalone ultrasound certification.).
Limited-Scope X-ray Operator
Divergence: limited-scope tier. Reduced-scope operation of x-ray equipment in specified anatomic categories (limited scope medical), as established by the state examination, below full radiographer scope.
- Fee: $110 application, $50 renewal, every 3 years
- Credential: Pass the Authority-approved (ARRT-administered) limited-scope state examination; a full national radiography credential is not required
- CE: No state CE; the limited-scope certificate is maintained by renewal rather than ongoing CE
How it differs from the general license: A limited-scope operator is certified as a 'radiation technician' (did not complete a full accredited program) via a state exam rather than holding a full ARRT radiography credential, and is restricted to the limited anatomic/procedure scope tested. The state-exam route also carries a higher initial fee ($110 vs $10).
Medical Physicist
Divergence: no state credential. No medical physicist certificate is defined in Delaware's radiation technologist/technician certification scheme.
How it differs from the general license: Delaware does not certify medical physicists under 16 Del. Admin. Code 4466; no 'medical physicist' or 'qualified medical physicist' certificate category is defined. (Individual medical-physicist licensure is commonly cited only in TX/FL/HI/NY.) Any physicist oversight in Delaware is handled through facility radiation-machine registration/inspection rather than personal certification.
Specialties that follow the general Delaware license
These run under the general radiologic technologist license and need no separate state credential: Mammography.
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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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
Delaware Authority on Radiation Protection
Board Website·Application Portal·License Verification
Phone: (302) 744-4546
Email: [email protected]
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 Delaware Authority on Radiation Protection's official website.
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