Illinois Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
Varies
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$120
Renewal: $120
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
Renewal
24 hours
Every 2 years
State Overview
Illinois 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 a 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, 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 Illinois's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in Illinois, 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 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.
Fees & 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.
| Credential | Application | Renewal | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiographer / General Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist | $120 | $120 | Every 2 years |
| Radiation Therapist | $120 | $120 | Every 2 years |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $120 | $120 | Every 2 years |
| Limited-Scope X-ray Operator (Limited Diagnostic Radiography) | $120 | $120 | Every 2 years |
There is no state fee line for MRI Technologist, Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound, and Medical Physicist, because Illinois does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
$120 accreditation fee (IEMA, not a 'license'). Renewal cycle (annual vs biennial) is unresolved.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 2 years, (biennially, based on date of initial state certification).
- Continuing education: Illinois 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.
- 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.
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 Illinois Emergency Management Agency 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: 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.
Processing & Timing
Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. In Illinois: Issued once payment is processed. 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.
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.
Quick start: Illinois is one of the states where the credential can be in hand within days of a complete application, so licensing does not have to gate a fast assignment start.
Specialty Differences
Most of the radiology family in Illinois 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: 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
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 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, confirm with your recruiter 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.
Official Resources
Illinois Emergency Management Agency
Board Website·Application Portal·License Verification
Phone: (217) 785-9913
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 Illinois Emergency Management Agency's official website.
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