Kentucky Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
About 4 weeks
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$100
Renewal: $50
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
Renewal
24 hours
Every 2 years
State Overview
Kentucky 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 X-ray Machine Operator (LXMO)).
A few other modalities are credentialed by the hiring facility or not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Kentucky 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 Kentucky's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in Kentucky, 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 certification + graduation from an accredited radiography program; must maintain active ARRT registration. Licensed by the Kentucky Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy (KBMIRT) under KRS Chapter 311B.
- Scope of the base license: General diagnostic radiography. The KBMIRT issues this as the base 'radiation license' tier; the licensee must practice per the ASRT Practice Standards for the discipline in which they hold a credential (201 KAR 46:035).
- Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.
Fees & Credentials
Kentucky 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 | $100 | $50 | Every 1 year |
| Radiation Therapist | $100 | $50 | Every 1 year |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $100 | $50 | Every 1 year |
| Limited X-ray Machine Operator (LXMO) | $100 | $50 | Every 1 year |
There is no state fee line for MRI Technologist, Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound, and Medical Physicist, because Kentucky does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
$100 initial (201 KAR 46:020); $50 annual renewal.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 2 years, (every year based on date of initial licensure).
- Continuing education: Kentucky requires 24 hours per 2-year cycle for the general license, alongside maintaining your ARRT credential.
- Limited X-ray Machine Operator (LXMO) CE: 12 CE units per biennium, half the 24 units required of full licensees (201 KAR 46:060).
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 Kentucky Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy 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 verification submission, applicants fail to use ARRT's official verification pathway, causing the board to request direct verification from prior state and adding 1-2 weeks.
Processing & Timing
Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. In Kentucky: About 4 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.
No license = no work; plan conservatively to avoid assignment start delays.
Specialty Differences
Most of the radiology family in Kentucky 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: facility-credentialed. Computed tomography performed by a base licensee who holds the ARRT/NMTCB CT post-primary credential; scope governed by the ASRT CT Practice Standards adopted by reference (201 KAR 46:035).
- Credential: Active KBMIRT radiographer (or nuclear medicine) license PLUS ARRT or NMTCB post-primary certification in computed tomography. 201 KAR 46:010 defines a 'computed tomography technologist' as an individual who has obtained post-primary CT certification from ARRT or NMTCB
How it differs from the general license: Kentucky does not issue a separate CT state license. The state defines the CT technologist by reference to the ARRT/NMTCB post-primary CT certification; CT is performed under the base radiographer license and the hiring facility credentials the technologist against that national certification and the ASRT CT practice standards.
MRI Technologist
Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging. Not defined or licensed in KRS Chapter 311B or 201 KAR Chapter 46.
- Credential: No Kentucky state credential. MRI uses no ionizing radiation and is outside the KBMIRT licensing scheme; employers typically require ARRT(MR) or ARMRIT certification
How it differs from the general license: MRI is not regulated by the KBMIRT and requires no Kentucky license because it does not use ionizing radiation. It is not among the modalities defined in 201 KAR 46:010, and the limited-license exclusion list treats MRI as outside the radiation-licensing scheme.
Radiation Therapist
Divergence: separate license. Therapeutic application of ionizing radiation. 201 KAR 46:040 lists radiation therapist as one of the five primary license classifications, separate from radiographer.
- Fee: $100 application, $50 renewal, every 1 year
- Credential: ARRT radiation therapy certification + accredited program; maintain active ARRT registration. Licensed by KBMIRT under KRS Chapter 311B as a distinct 'radiation therapist' classification
How it differs from the general license: Radiation therapist is a separate license classification under 201 KAR 46:040, not an endorsement on the radiographer license. It requires its own ARRT radiation therapy certification and accredited therapy program rather than the radiography credential.
Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Divergence: separate license. Administration of radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine imaging (including PET via post-primary certification). One of the five primary license classifications under 201 KAR 46:040.
- Fee: $100 application, $50 renewal, every 1 year
- Credential: ARRT (nuclear medicine) or NMTCB certification + accredited program; maintain active registration. Licensed by KBMIRT under KRS Chapter 311B as a distinct 'nuclear medicine technologist' classification
How it differs from the general license: Nuclear medicine technologist is a separate license classification, not a radiographer endorsement. It is the only tier where the NMTCB examination is accepted as an alternative to ARRT, reflecting its distinct credentialing path.
Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound
Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound. Not defined or licensed in KRS Chapter 311B or 201 KAR Chapter 46.
- Credential: No Kentucky state credential. Diagnostic medical sonography uses no ionizing radiation and is outside the KBMIRT scheme; employers typically require ARDMS (RDMS) certification
How it differs from the general license: Sonography is not regulated by the KBMIRT and requires no Kentucky license because it uses no ionizing radiation. It is not defined among the modalities in 201 KAR 46:010 and is not one of the licensable classifications under 201 KAR 46:040.
Limited X-ray Machine Operator (LXMO)
Divergence: limited-scope tier. Reduced-scope plain radiography only. General LXMO: thorax/lungs/ribs, abdomen, skull/facial, extremities, pectoral girdle/hips/pelvis, and spine. Podiatry LXMO: foot and ankle only. Bone densitometry LXMO: bone densitometry only. Must work under direct or indirect supervision and may NOT work at facilities performing contrast studies, fluoroscopy, mammography, CT, MRI, bedside radiography, nuclear medicine, PET, or radiation therapy.
- Fee: $100 application, $50 renewal, every 1 year
- Credential: Completion of an approved LXMO program + passing the ARRT-administered limited scope radiography exam (within one year of program completion). Separate KBMIRT 'limited x-ray machine operator' license; available in general, podiatry, and bone densitometry sub-categories
- CE: 12 CE units per biennium, half the 24 units required of full licensees (201 KAR 46:060)
How it differs from the general license: The LXMO is a reduced-scope credential below the full radiographer license: it permits only specified plain-film exams (or podiatry/bone-density subsets), requires only the ARRT limited scope exam rather than full ARRT radiography certification, mandates supervision, and bars employment at facilities using advanced modalities.
Medical Physicist
Divergence: no state credential. Medical/radiation physics. Outside the KBMIRT scheme.
- Credential: No Kentucky license. Medical physicists are not licensed by the KBMIRT and are not addressed in KRS Chapter 311B or 201 KAR Chapter 46; practitioners typically hold ABR/ABMP board certification
How it differs from the general license: Kentucky does not license medical physicists. The credential is absent from KRS Chapter 311B and 201 KAR Chapter 46 (which cover only imaging/therapy technologists, LXMOs, and advanced imaging professionals); only a handful of states such as TX, FL, HI, and NY license medical physicists.
Specialties that follow the general Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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
Kentucky Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy
Board Website·Application Portal
Phone: (502) 782-7687
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 Kentucky Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy's official website.
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