Nevada Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
Not published
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$200
Renewal: $200
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
Renewal
24 hours
Every 2 years
State Overview
Nevada licenses radiology as more than a single credential. Alongside the general radiologic technologist license, it recognizes 2 separate base licenses (Radiation Therapist and Mammographer), plus an add-on authorization (CT Technologist), plus a limited-permit tier (Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (Limited License)).
A few other modalities are not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Nevada 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 Nevada's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in Nevada, 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.
- Scope of the base license: Use of ionizing radiation to diagnose or visualize a medical condition (NRS 653.390). The baseline diagnostic radiographer credential issued by the Nevada Radiation Control Program (DPBH).
- Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.
Fees & Credentials
Nevada 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 Imaging License) | $200 | $200 | Every 2 years |
| Radiation Therapist | $200 | $200 | Every 2 years |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $200 | $200 | Every 2 years |
| CT Technologist | $200 | — | — |
| Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (Limited License) | $200 | $200 | Every 2 years |
| Mammographer | Included | Included | Every 3 years |
There is no state fee line for MRI Technologist, Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound), and Medical Physicist, because Nevada does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
$200 personnel license (NAC 653.200), biennial. A separate $200 CT/fluoroscopy registration applies if performing those. Not online.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 2 years, based on date of initial license issuance.
- Continuing education: Nevada 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.
- Mammographer CE: CE requirements and a 3-year certificate cycle are governed by NRS 457.183, distinct from the Chapter 653 2-year license cycle.
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 Radiologic Health Section 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: submitting unverified ARRT certification without requesting official board-to-board verification; Nevada requires verification directly from issuing state licensing board, not just proof of exam passage.
Processing & Timing
Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. Nevada does not publish a standard turnaround for radiology, so plan from recruiter experience rather than a board SLA.
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.
Nevada offers no temporary license pathway and requires full permanent licensure before work begins. Monthly board meeting cycle creates fixed processing gates. Plan significantly ahead to avoid assignment delays.
Specialty Differences
Most of the radiology family in Nevada 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.
Radiation Therapist
Divergence: separate license. Administration of ionizing radiation for therapeutic purposes (NRS 653.380).
- Fee: $200 application, $200 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: ARRT (Radiation Therapy) certification
How it differs from the general license: Radiation therapy is a separate practice authorization defined apart from diagnostic radiologic imaging (NRS 653.380 vs 653.390). It is conferred under the full Chapter 653 license (NRS 653.510) and requires ARRT Radiation Therapy certification rather than the diagnostic radiography credential.
CT Technologist
Divergence: add-on authorization. Performance of computed tomography. A person may not perform CT except as authorized by NRS 653.630 and NRS 653.620.
- Fee: $200 application
- Credential: ARRT or NMTCB Computed Tomography certification (or registration with the Division while obtaining it)
How it differs from the general license: CT is not covered by the base radiographer license alone; NRS 653.630 requires CT-specific ARRT/NMTCB certification (or Division registration while pursuing it) layered on top of an active Chapter 653 license. Nuclear medicine and radiation therapy licensees may perform CT within their authorized scope.
Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (Limited License)
Divergence: limited-scope tier. Restricted radiologic imaging in one or more areas: chest, extremities, spine, skull/sinus, podiatric, and bone densitometry. Holders may NOT use contrast media or perform nuclear medicine or radiation therapy.
- Fee: $200 application, $200 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: ASRT Limited X-Ray Machine Operator Curriculum + ARRT limited-scope-of-practice examination
How it differs from the general license: A reduced-scope credential below the full radiographer license: it is limited to enumerated body-region categories (NRS 653.520), requires only the ASRT limited curriculum and ARRT limited-scope exam rather than full JRCERT-program graduation and full ARRT registration, and prohibits contrast, nuclear medicine, and therapy.
Mammographer
Divergence: separate license. Operation of a radiation machine for mammography under the cancer-control statutes, separate from the Chapter 653 radiologic-imaging scheme.
- Fee: Included application, Included renewal, every 3 years
- Credential: Certificate of authorization to operate a radiation machine for mammography (NRS 457.183), or licensure under NRS chapter 630/633
- CE: CE requirements and a 3-year certificate cycle are governed by NRS 457.183, distinct from the Chapter 653 2-year license cycle
How it differs from the general license: Mammography is carved out of the general radiologic-imaging license entirely: it is exempt from Chapter 653 (NRS 653.430) and governed by a separate certificate of authorization under NRS 457.183 with a 3-year (not 2-year) cycle. The fee is waived for those who also hold a Chapter 653 license.
MRI Technologist
Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging uses no ionizing radiation and is therefore outside the scope of NRS/NAC Chapter 653.
How it differs from the general license: MRI is not regulated by the Nevada Radiation Control Program because it involves no ionizing radiation; Chapter 653 governs only ionizing-radiation modalities (NRS 653.390). No state license or authorization is issued; employers typically require ARRT-MR or ARMRIT certification.
Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound)
Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation and is outside Chapter 653.
How it differs from the general license: Sonography is not licensed by the state because it does not use ionizing radiation, placing it outside Chapter 653 (NRS 653.390). No state credential is issued; employers typically require ARDMS/ARRT-S certification.
Medical Physicist
Divergence: no state credential. No medical physicist license is issued under Chapter 653.
How it differs from the general license: Nevada does not license medical physicists under the radiologic technologist scheme; no medical-physicist credential is established in NRS or NAC Chapter 653 (only a handful of states such as TX/FL/HI/NY license this role). Marked not_licensed as a confirmed negative for Chapter 653, though a separate facility/RAM-license requirement may exist outside this chapter.
Specialties that follow the general Nevada license
These run under the general radiologic technologist license and need no separate state credential: Nuclear Medicine Technologist.
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 Nevada 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 Nevada 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
Radiologic Health Section
Board Website·Application Portal
Phone: (775) 687-7550
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 Radiologic Health Section's official website.
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