Florida Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide

Most of the radiology family in Florida 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. Recorded on the CRT certificate as a CRT-CT specialty designation.

• Fee: $45 application, every 2 years
• Credential: Proof of current post-primary/specialty certification in Computed Tomography from an approved national organization (ARRT or NMTCB), evidenced by an unexpired wallet card; application to the department under Rule 64E-3.0034, F.A.C

MRI Technologist

Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging, uses no ionizing radiation, so it falls outside Chapter 468, Part IV, F.S.

How it differs from the general license: Florida does not license or certify MRI technologists. The DOH determined Ch. 468, Part IV applies only to persons who use ionizing radiation on humans, and stopped issuing or renewing MRI certificates. Hiring facilities may require national (e.g., ARRT MRI) registration.

Radiation Therapist

Divergence: separate license. Radiation therapy / therapeutic use of ionizing radiation. Issued as its own CRT - Radiation Therapy category.

• Fee: $40 application, every 2 years
• Credential: Graduation from a two-year accredited radiologic technology program in radiation therapy and passage of the radiation therapy certification examination (ARRT-administered for FL DOH)

How it differs from the general license: A distinct primary certification category with its own accredited program and certification examination, separate from the general radiographer credential rather than an add-on to it.

Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Divergence: separate license. Nuclear medicine technology. Issued as its own CRT - Nuclear Medicine category. (PET is handled as a separate post-primary specialty designation via NMTCB.).

• Fee: $40 application, every 2 years
• Credential: Graduation from a two-year accredited radiologic technology program in nuclear medicine and passage of the nuclear medicine certification examination

How it differs from the general license: A distinct primary certification category with its own accredited program and certification examination, separate from the general radiographer credential rather than an add-on to it.

Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound)

Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound, uses no ionizing radiation, so it falls outside Chapter 468, Part IV, F.S.

How it differs from the general license: Florida does not license or certify sonographers; ultrasound is not within the ionizing-radiation scope of Ch. 468, Part IV. Hiring facilities may require national registry credentials (e.g., ARDMS).

Mammography

Divergence: add-on authorization. Mammography. Recorded on the CRT certificate as a CRT-M specialty designation. (Federal MQSA personnel standards also apply.).

• Fee: $45 application, every 2 years
• Credential: Proof of current post-primary/specialty certification in Mammography (M) from ARRT, evidenced by an unexpired wallet card; application under Rule 64E-3.0034, F.A.C. Mammography technician is a named certification category

How it differs from the general license: Not folded silently under the radiographer license, Florida names it as a separate certification category and issues it by endorsement on top of the base certificate, requiring proof of ARRT post-primary mammography certification.

Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (Basic X-Ray Machine Operator)

Divergence: limited-scope tier. Limited / basic x-ray machine operation, a reduced-scope credential below the full general radiographer license.

• Fee: $40 application, every 2 years
• Credential: Completion of a formal educational program is NOT required; applicants study department-provided materials and pass the BMXO examination. Certified Radiologic Technologist - Basic X-Ray Machine Operator (BMXO) category

How it differs from the general license: Below the full general radiographer license: no accredited program required, a reduced-scope examination ($150 vs. $200), and a restricted scope of practice limited to basic x-ray machine operation.

Medical Physicist

Divergence: separate license. Medical physics services in the licensed area. Governed by a separate board/rule chapter (64B23-2, F.A.C.), distinct from the radiologic technologist scheme.

• Fee: $500 application, every 2 years
• Credential: Active Florida Medical Physicist license in the area of practice, issued under Rule 64B23-2, F.A.C. Four areas: Diagnostic Radiological, Therapeutic Radiological, Medical Nuclear Radiological, and Medical Health Physicist

How it differs from the general license: Not a radiographer credential at all, Florida is one of the few states that licenses medical physicists, under a separate MQA rule chapter (64B23-2) with its own four practice areas, far higher fees, and graduate-level physics qualifications rather than the radiologic-technology pathway.

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 Florida 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 Florida 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.