Illinois Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide

Illinois Radiology License Overview

Illinois licenses radiology as more than a single credential. Alongside the general radiologic technologist license, it also recognizes:

• Base licenses: Radiation Therapist; Nuclear Medicine Technologist
• Limited-permit tier: Limited-Scope X-ray Operator (Limited Diagnostic Radiography)

A few other modalities are not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Illinois license. The specialty section below covers each.

A license you hold in another state does not transfer automatically, so you apply to Illinois's licensing board before your first assignment there.

Illinois Radiology License Requirements

The baseline below is the general Illinois radiologic technologist license. The specialty section covers the modalities that differ from it.

• National certification: confirm with the board which ARRT credential Illinois accepts, and whether it must stay current.
• Credential required: ARRT Radiography (R) certification plus IEMA-OHS Active Status Accreditation in Medical Radiography.
• Scope of the base license: Full general diagnostic radiography. This is the baseline Medical Radiography accreditation category.
• Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.

Illinois Radiology License Fees and Credentials

Illinois issues more than one radiology credential, so fees vary by what you actually do. The table below is one row per state-recognized credential.

There is no state fee line for MRI Technologist, Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound, and Medical Physicist, because Illinois does not license those modalities.

$120 accreditation fee (IEMA, not a 'license'). Confirm the renewal cycle with IEMA.

Illinois Radiology License Renewal and CE

• Renewal cycle: every 2 years, and you can renew up to 60 days before your accreditation expires.
• Continuing education: Illinois sets 24 hours per 2-year cycle (from our records; confirm with the board), but maintaining an active ARRT certification satisfies the state's CE requirement.
• Radiation Therapist CE: 24 CE credits per 2-year cycle, same hour count as radiography but tracked under the separate Radiation Therapy category.
• Nuclear Medicine Technologist CE: 24 CE credits per 2-year cycle, tracked under the separate Nuclear Medicine category.
• Limited-Scope X-ray Operator (Limited Diagnostic Radiography) CE: Only 12 CE credits per 2-year cycle, versus 24 for the full radiography accreditation.

How to Get an Illinois Radiology License

In outline, applying takes four steps:

1. Confirm the credential Illinois requires for the work you will do (the requirements above and the specialty section below).
2. Complete a board-approved program if the state requires one for your credential.
3. Apply to Illinois Emergency Management Agency through the application portal.
4. Arrange the verification the board asks for: ARRT or direct board verification.

Common slip-ups travelers hit here: incomplete ARRT certification history; applicants must provide official ARRT verification showing all active certifications (e.g., RT(R), RT(N), RT(T)), missing any specialty credential delays the application 2-3 weeks while board requests resubmission.

Illinois Radiology License Processing Time

Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. Illinois does not publish a standard turnaround for radiology, so allow extra time before your start date. After IEMA-OHS processes the application, it emails instructions to pay online, and once payment is made you can print your work authorization letter right away.

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.

Illinois mandates permanent licensure before work begins with no temporary license available; 8-12 week processing with potential batch-cycle delays makes short-notice assignments high-risk. Start applications at least 16 weeks before assignment start.

Illinois Radiology Specialty Rules

Below is one subsection per credential that differs from the general Illinois license, then roll-up lines for everything else.

CT Technologist

Divergence: specialty difference. Computed tomography performed under the base radiography accreditation.

• Credential: Active Medical Radiography accreditation; CT competency demonstrated via ARRT post-primary CT (typically facility-credentialed)

MRI Technologist

Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging. Not state-regulated in Illinois.

How it differs from the general license: Unlike the base radiography accreditation, Illinois issues no state credential for MRI because the modality uses no ionizing radiation and is outside IEMA-OHS jurisdiction; employers rely on national certification (ARRT MR or ARMRIT).

Radiation Therapist

Divergence: separate license. Delivery of therapeutic radiation. Distinct accreditation category, not a sub-scope of radiography.

• Fee: $120 application, $120 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: ARRT Radiation Therapy (T) certification plus IEMA-OHS Active Status Accreditation in Radiation Therapy Technology
• CE: 24 CE credits per 2-year cycle, same hour count as radiography but tracked under the separate Radiation Therapy category

How it differs from the general license: Radiation Therapy is a standalone accreditation category requiring its own ARRT (T) exam and credential, not an add-on to or sub-scope of the base diagnostic radiography accreditation.

Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Divergence: separate license. Administration of radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear imaging; includes the CT component of hybrid PET/CT and SPECT/CT exams.

• Fee: $120 application, $120 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: ARRT Nuclear Medicine (N) or NMTCB certification plus IEMA-OHS Active Status Accreditation in Nuclear Medicine Technology
• CE: 24 CE credits per 2-year cycle, tracked under the separate Nuclear Medicine category

How it differs from the general license: Nuclear Medicine is a standalone accreditation category requiring its own exam and credential rather than the diagnostic radiography accreditation, and it carries a built-in CT exemption for hybrid PET/CT and SPECT/CT imaging.

Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound

Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound. Not state-regulated in Illinois.

How it differs from the general license: Unlike the base radiography accreditation, Illinois issues no state credential for sonography because ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation and is outside IEMA-OHS jurisdiction; employers rely on national certification (ARDMS or ARRT S).

Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (Limited Diagnostic Radiography)

Divergence: limited-scope tier. Radiographic procedures restricted to one or more of: chest, extremities, skull/sinus, or spine. Narrower than the full Medical Radiography scope.

• Fee: $120 application, $120 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Pass the Limited Diagnostic Radiography examination; IEMA-OHS Limited Diagnostic Radiography Accreditation
• CE: Only 12 CE credits per 2-year cycle, versus 24 for the full radiography accreditation

How it differs from the general license: A reduced-scope credential below the full radiographer accreditation, limited to chest, extremities, skull/sinus, or spine, with a separate (easier) exam and a lower 12-hour CE requirement.

Medical Physicist

Divergence: no state credential. Medical physics. Not licensed as an individual credential in Illinois.

How it differs from the general license: Unlike the radiographer accreditation, Illinois issues no individual Medical Physicist license; the role is governed through facility radiation-safety/registrant requirements, not a personal state credential.

Specialties That Follow the General Illinois License

These run under the general radiologic technologist license and need no separate state credential: Mammography.

Before You Pay: Confirm Your Modality

States differ on whether a radiology modality needs its own state credential. 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 specialty differences we have on file for Illinois 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, check whether Illinois 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.

Illinois Licensing Board and Resources

Illinois Emergency Management Agency

Board Website · Application Portal · License Verification

Phone: (217) 785-9913

Email: [email protected]