Maryland Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide

Maryland Radiology License Overview

Maryland 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 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 Maryland license. The specialty section below covers each.

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

Maryland Radiology License Requirements

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

• National certification: confirm with the board which ARRT credential Maryland accepts, and whether it must stay current.
• Credential required: Graduation from an ARRT-recognized radiography education program plus ARRT certification/registration. (As of Oct 21, 2024 the Board no longer requires JRCERT program accreditation.)
• Scope of the base license: Full general diagnostic radiography. Issued and regulated by the Maryland Board of Physicians under COMAR 10.32.10.
• Verification: Verification of Other State Licenses form submitted with the application; the Board also attempts to verify other-state licenses and national certification.

Maryland Radiology License Fees and Credentials

Maryland 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 Maryland does not license those modalities.

$150 initial; $161 renewal (includes a $26 MHCC assessment), biennial.

Maryland Radiology License Renewal and CE

• Renewal cycle: every 2 years, prior to April 30th of ODD numbered years.
• Continuing education: Maryland 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 hours of approved CE per 2-year cycle, same as radiographers.
• Nuclear Medicine Technologist CE: 24 hours of approved CE per 2-year cycle; NMTCB certification may alternatively satisfy renewal.
• Limited X-Ray Machine Operator (LXMO) CE: 24 hours of approved CE per 2-year cycle (same hour count as radiographers).

How to Get a Maryland Radiology License

In outline, applying takes four steps:

1. Confirm the credential Maryland 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 Maryland Board of Physicians through the application portal.
4. Arrange the verification the board asks for: Verification of Other State Licenses form submitted with the application; the Board also attempts to verify other-state licenses and national certification.

Common slip-ups travelers hit here: incomplete or missing implicit bias training documentation, Maryland requires evidence of completion for licensure; applications rejected without proof.

Maryland Radiology License Processing Time

Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. In Maryland: 3-6 weeks. 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.

Maryland's lack of temporary licensure and 3-6 week standard processing create moderate-to-high risk for tight timelines. Plan assignments with 8-12 week lead time to ensure permanent license issuance before first shift.

Maryland Radiology Specialty Rules

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

CT Technologist

Divergence: facility-credentialed. CT imaging. Maryland's Board of Physicians issues no CT-specific state credential; the practitioner works under the general radiographer license and the hiring facility credentials CT competency against the holder's ARRT post-primary CT certification.

• Credential: ARRT post-primary certification in Computed Tomography (CT), held on top of an active Maryland radiographer license

How it differs from the general license: Maryland does not issue a separate state CT license or supplemental state authorization. CT is performed under the base radiographer license; the ARRT post-primary CT credential is verified and privileged by the employing facility rather than the state.

MRI Technologist

Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging. MRI uses no ionizing radiation and is not within the Board of Physicians' radiologic licensing scheme; Maryland issues no MRI license or registration.

• Credential: No Maryland state credential. Employers typically require ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT certification

How it differs from the general license: Unlike the radiographer license, MRI is entirely unregulated by the state. There is no Maryland license, registration, or supplemental authorization for MRI technologists; credentialing is left to the employer.

Radiation Therapist

Divergence: separate license. Therapeutic radiation/radiation oncology treatment delivery. A distinct license category under COMAR 10.32.10, issued by the Maryland Board of Physicians.

• Fee: $150 application, $161 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Graduation from an ARRT-recognized radiation therapy education program plus ARRT certification/registration in radiation therapy
• CE: 24 hours of approved CE per 2-year cycle, same as radiographers

How it differs from the general license: Radiation therapy is its own separate Maryland license, not an add-on to the radiographer license; it requires an ARRT radiation-therapy education program and ARRT radiation-therapy certification rather than the diagnostic radiography pathway.

Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Divergence: separate license. Nuclear medicine imaging and radiopharmaceutical administration. A distinct license category under COMAR 10.32.10, issued by the Maryland Board of Physicians.

• Fee: $150 application, $161 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Graduation from an ARRT- or NMTCB-recognized nuclear medicine program plus ARRT or NMTCB certification/registration
• CE: 24 hours of approved CE per 2-year cycle; NMTCB certification may alternatively satisfy renewal

How it differs from the general license: Nuclear medicine is its own separate Maryland license rather than an extension of the radiographer license, and it uniquely accepts NMTCB certification (in addition to ARRT) for qualification and renewal.

Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound)

Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound. Ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation and is outside the Board of Physicians' radiologic licensing scheme; Maryland issues no sonography license or registration.

• Credential: No Maryland state credential. Employers typically require ARDMS (RDMS/RDCS/RVT) or ARRT (S) certification

How it differs from the general license: Sonography is unregulated by the state, unlike the radiographer license. There is no Maryland license or registration; certification (typically ARDMS) is an employer expectation rather than a state mandate.

Limited X-Ray Machine Operator (LXMO)

Divergence: limited-scope tier. Limited x-ray procedures of the chest, spine (cervical/thoracic/lumbar, SI joints, sacrum, coccyx), upper extremities (fingers through scapula), and lower extremities (toes through femur), performed only under supervision of a Maryland-licensed physician or radiologic technologist.

• Fee: $65 application, $125 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Maryland LXMO Registration (a registration, NOT a license; LXMO registrants are unlicensed). Requires a limited-scope x-ray education program (a full radiography program cannot be substituted): at least 115 didactic hours plus 480 clinical hours and five competencies under ARRT-certified RT supervision. Effective Jan 1, 2025 only Board-registered individuals may practice as LXMOs
• CE: 24 hours of approved CE per 2-year cycle (same hour count as radiographers)

How it differs from the general license: The LXMO is a reduced-scope registration, not a full license:

• Holders are explicitly 'unlicensed,' limited to specified body regions
• Must work under direct supervision
• Complete a dedicated limited-scope program rather than a full ARRT radiography program

Medical Physicist

Divergence: no state credential. Medical physics. Maryland is not among the states (commonly TX, FL, HI, NY) that license Medical Physicists; the Board of Physicians' radiologic scheme covers only radiographers, Radiation Therapists, nuclear medicine technologists, radiologist assistants, and LXMO registrants.

• Credential: No Maryland Board of Physicians Medical Physicist license. (National certification such as ABR is the customary professional credential.)

How it differs from the general license: Maryland issues no Medical Physicist license at all; the role falls outside the radiologic-technologist licensing scheme entirely.

Specialties That Follow the General Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland 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.

Maryland Licensing Board and Resources

Maryland Board of Physicians

Board Website · Application Portal

Phone: (410) 764-4777

Email: [email protected]