Maryland Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
3-6 weeks
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$150
Renewal: $161
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
Renewal
24 hours
Every 2 years
State Overview
Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in Maryland, 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: 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: ARRT or direct board verification.
Fees & 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.
| Credential | Application | Renewal | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiographer (General Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist) | $150 | $161 | Every 2 years |
| Radiation Therapist | $150 | $161 | Every 2 years |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $150 | $161 | Every 2 years |
| Limited X-Ray Machine Operator (LXMO) | $65 | $125 | Every 2 years |
There is no state fee line for MRI Technologist, Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound), and Medical Physicist, because Maryland does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
$150 initial; $161 renewal (includes a $26 MHCC assessment), biennial.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 2 years, prior to April 30th of ODD numbered years.
- Continuing education: Maryland 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 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).
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 Maryland Board of Physicians 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 or missing implicit bias training documentation, Maryland requires evidence of completion for licensure; applications rejected without proof.
Processing & Timing
Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. In Maryland: 3-6 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.
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.
Specialty Differences
Most of the radiology family in Maryland 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. 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, and 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
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 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, confirm with your recruiter 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.
Official Resources
Maryland Board of Physicians
Board Website·Application Portal
Phone: (410) 764-4777
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 Maryland Board of Physicians's official website.
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