Maine Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
About 2 weeks
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$121
Renewal: $100
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
Renewal
24 hours
Every 2 years
State Overview
Maine licenses radiology as more than a single credential. Alongside the general radiologic technologist license, it recognizes a limited-permit tier (Limited Radiographer (Limited-Scope X-ray)).
A few other modalities are not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Maine 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 Maine's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in Maine, 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 certification and current registration as a radiographer (or board-approved equivalent education plus board-approved exam). Applicants must be at least 18.
- Scope of the base license: Applies ionizing radiation to humans for imaging purposes under a licensed practitioner's supervision. Issued by the Maine Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners as the Radiologic Technologist (RT) license.
- Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.
Fees & Credentials
Maine 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 (Radiologic Technologist) | $100 | $100 | Every 2 years |
| Radiation Therapist | $100 | $100 | Every 2 years |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $100 | $100 | Every 2 years |
| Limited Radiographer (Limited-Scope X-ray) | $100 | $100 | Every 2 years |
There is no state fee line for MRI Technologist, Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound), and Medical Physicist, because Maine does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
All-in $121 = $100 license + a $21 criminal-history check that is mandatory on every initial application.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 2 years, prior to August 31st of EVEN numbered years.
- Continuing education: Maine 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.
- Radiographer (Radiologic Technologist) CE: 24 hours of continuing education every two-year cycle (or maintenance of valid ARRT credentials / passing an additional exam as an alternative compliance option). Licenses renew August 31 of even years.
- Limited Radiographer (Limited-Scope X-ray) CE: 24 hours of continuing education every two-year cycle, same as the full RT license.
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 Maine Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners 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 documentation submitted with application; Maine board requires direct ARRT confirmation or official verification from previous state licensing board, not just ARRT card copy.
Processing & Timing
Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. In Maine: About 2 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.
Maine's 2-4 week processing with no temporary license option means permanent licensure must be confirmed before day one. The long recommended lead time accounts for verification delays and lack of expedite options.
Quick start: Maine 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 Maine 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 is performed under the general Radiologic Technologist (RT) license. Maine defines its licensed categories by the type of radiation used (ionizing radiation), not by imaging modality, so CT carries no separate state credential or modality endorsement.
MRI Technologist
Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging uses no ionizing radiation, so it falls outside the Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners' jurisdiction. Maine issues no MRI credential; employers credential MRI technologists against ARRT(MR) or ARMRIT certification.
How it differs from the general license: Unlike the base radiographer license, no Maine license is required to perform MRI. The Medical Radiation Health and Safety Act regulates only ionizing radiation and radionuclides, which excludes MRI.
Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound)
Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical sonography uses ultrasound, which Maine's statute expressly excludes from the definition of ionizing radiation. The Radiologic Technology Board does not license sonographers; employers credential against ARDMS or ARRT(S) certification.
How it differs from the general license: Unlike the base radiographer license, no Maine license is required to perform diagnostic ultrasound. The statute states ionizing radiation does not include ultrasound, placing sonography outside the board's authority.
Limited Radiographer (Limited-Scope X-ray)
Divergence: limited-scope tier. A reduced-scope license authorizing ionizing-radiation imaging only for limited purposes/anatomical regions, below the full radiographer license. Issued as the distinct LT license type.
- Fee: $100 application, $100 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: Completion of a board-approved course of study and clinical training (Board rules Chapter 6) and passage of the ARRT Examination for the Limited Scope of Practice in Radiology with a score of at least 75%. A Trainee Radiographer (TR) pathway precedes it
- CE: 24 hours of continuing education every two-year cycle, same as the full RT license
How it differs from the general license: Narrower scope than the full radiographer license: the holder may perform only limited-scope radiography rather than the full range of diagnostic imaging, and qualifies via the ARRT Limited Scope exam rather than full ARRT radiographer certification.
Medical Physicist
Divergence: no state credential. Maine does not license medical/radiological physicists. A 'radiation physicist' appears in statute only as a designated seat on the Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners, not as a licensed practitioner category.
How it differs from the general license: Unlike the base radiographer license, no Maine license is issued to medical physicists. State medical-physicist licensure exists only in a handful of states (e.g., TX, FL, HI, NY); Maine is not among them.
Specialties that follow the general Maine license
These run under the general radiologic technologist license and need no separate state credential: Radiation Therapist, Nuclear Medicine Technologist, and 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 Maine 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 Maine 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
Maine Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners
Board Website·Application Portal
Phone: (207) 624-8626
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 Maine Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners's official website.
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