New York Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
Not published
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$120
Renewal: $20/yr
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
CE Required
48 hours
Every 4 years
State Overview
New York licenses radiology as more than a single credential. Alongside the general radiologic technologist license, it recognizes 3 separate base licenses (Radiation Therapist (Radiation Therapy Technologist), Nuclear Medicine Technologist, and Medical Physicist), plus an add-on authorization (Contrast Media Injection Certification), plus a limited-permit tier (Limited-Scope Radiographer (Limited Permit X-ray Operator)).
A few other modalities are not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own New York 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 New York's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in New York, 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 approved radiologic technology program plus ARRT examination; active NYS Department of Health license and registration (PBH Article 35).
- Scope of the base license: Operation of ionizing-radiation diagnostic radiography equipment under the supervision of a licensed practitioner. New York issues separate licenses for radiography, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine technology.
- Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.
Fees & Credentials
New York 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) | $120 | $20/yr | Every 4 years |
| Radiation Therapist (Radiation Therapy Technologist) | $120 | $20/yr | Every 4 years |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $120 | $20/yr | Every 4 years |
| Medical Physicist | $495 | $260 | Every 3 years |
There is no state fee line for MRI Technologist and Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, because New York does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
$120 one-time initial (DOH-372); $20/yr registration after. NYC has no separate technologist license. Apply by email.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 4 years, first re-registration prorated to align with birth month.
- Continuing education: New York sets 48 hours per 4-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 (Radiation Therapy Technologist) CE: Same continuing-education framework (12 hours per year of cycle) but tied to the therapy license category.
- Nuclear Medicine Technologist CE: Same DOH continuing-education framework, tied to the nuclear medicine license category.
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer CE: No state CE requirement applies; CE follows the holder's ARDMS certification.
- Limited-Scope Radiographer (Limited Permit X-ray Operator) CE: Reduced-scope license; CE/registration administered by DOH alongside the full radiographer program.
- Medical Physicist CE: CE/registration is governed by NYSED Office of the Professions (triennial registration), separate from the DOH radiologic-technologist CE framework.
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 New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection (BERP). 'Corning Tower – Empire State Plaza' is the building/mailing address, not the name of the licensing agency. 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 prior state license verification submission, applicants fail to request verification from home state board before New York application is reviewed, forcing board to request it separately and adding 2-4 weeks.
Processing & Timing
Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. New York 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.
New York's lack of temporary license and 4-8 week endorsement processing create significant timeline risk. No expedite option exists, making early application critical.
Specialty Differences
Most of the radiology family in New York 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 NYS radiographer license. New York does not issue a distinct CT credential; CT competency is credentialed by the employing facility against the holder's ARRT post-primary CT certification.
- Credential: Active NYS radiologic technologist (radiography) license; ARRT post-primary CT certification typically required by employers
MRI Technologist
Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging uses non-ionizing radiation and falls outside New York's radiologic technology licensing statute (PBH Article 35). MRI operators are not state-licensed; regulation has been proposed in the past but not enacted.
- Credential: No NYS license. Employers typically require ARRT(MR) or ARMRIT certification
How it differs from the general license: Unlike the ionizing-radiation radiographer license, MRI is not regulated by New York State; no state credential is issued and the modality is governed solely by employer/facility credentialing.
Radiation Therapist (Radiation Therapy Technologist)
Divergence: separate license. Administration of therapeutic ionizing radiation. New York statute (PBH 3502) directs the department to issue separate licenses in radiography, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine technology.
- Fee: $120 application, $20/yr renewal, every 4 years
- Credential: Separate NYS Department of Health license in radiation therapy (PBH 3502); approved radiation-therapy program plus ARRT(T) examination
- CE: Same continuing-education framework (12 hours per year of cycle) but tied to the therapy license category
How it differs from the general license: Radiation therapy is a distinct license category under PBH 3502, not an endorsement on the diagnostic radiography license; a radiographer cannot perform therapeutic radiation without the separate therapy license.
Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Divergence: separate license. Preparation and administration of radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine imaging. PBH 3502 directs the department to issue a separate license in nuclear medicine technology.
- Fee: $120 application, $20/yr renewal, every 4 years
- Credential: Separate NYS Department of Health nuclear medicine technology license (required to practice since January 1, 2009); approved NMT program plus NMTCB or ARRT(N) examination
- CE: Same DOH continuing-education framework, tied to the nuclear medicine license category
How it differs from the general license: Nuclear medicine technology is its own statutory license category under PBH 3502; it cannot be performed under the diagnostic radiography license and has been mandatory since 2009.
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound uses non-ionizing sound waves and is not covered by New York's radiologic technology licensing statute. New York does not license sonographers; competency is credentialed by the hiring facility, typically against ARDMS certification.
- Credential: No NYS license. ARDMS (RDMS) certification is the de facto employer requirement
- CE: No state CE requirement applies; CE follows the holder's ARDMS certification
How it differs from the general license: Sonography is outside the ionizing-radiation licensing scheme entirely; New York issues no sonography credential, unlike the DOH-licensed radiographer.
Limited-Scope Radiographer (Limited Permit X-ray Operator)
Divergence: limited-scope tier. Authorized to perform only simple radiographs of specified anatomic regions (chest, extremities, skull/sinus, spine/sacrum). May not use fluoroscopy or inject IV contrast, and practices only under supervision of a licensed practitioner or full RT, primarily at urgent care centers.
- Credential: Completion of an approved limited-scope program (approx. 80 didactic hours + 240 clinical hours with at least five clinical competencies); DOH limited-scope radiographer license
- CE: Reduced-scope license; CE/registration administered by DOH alongside the full radiographer program
How it differs from the general license: This is a restricted-scope credential below the full radiographer license: it covers only enumerated anatomic regions, prohibits fluoroscopy and contrast injection, and limits the practice setting (urgent care), unlike the unrestricted general radiographer license.
Contrast Media Injection Certification
Divergence: add-on authorization. Add-on DOH certification permitting a licensed radiologic technologist to administer or inject IV contrast media, subject to prior practitioner approval and same-day patient evaluation. Not a standalone license.
- Credential: Active NYS radiologic technologist license plus DOH certification to administer/inject IV contrast media (PBH 3502; commissioner's rules)
How it differs from the general license: This is an add-on authorization layered on top of an active radiographer license, not a separate license; without it a NYS RT may not inject IV contrast.
Medical Physicist
Divergence: separate license. Practice of medical physics or use of the title 'professional medical physicist' requires a NYSED license. Four specialty areas: diagnostic radiological physics, medical health physics, medical nuclear physics, and therapeutic radiological/radiation oncology physics; a physicist may only practice in a specialty they are licensed in.
- Fee: $495 application, $260 renewal, every 3 years
- Credential: Master's or doctoral degree from a Department-registered (CAMPEP-accredited acceptable) medical physics program, at least 2 years full-time specialty experience, and examination; license is specialty-specific (four areas)
- CE: CE/registration is governed by NYSED Office of the Professions (triennial registration), separate from the DOH radiologic-technologist CE framework
How it differs from the general license: Medical physics is a wholly separate profession licensed by NYSED (Education Department), not the DOH that licenses radiographers; it requires a graduate degree and is specialty-specific across four physics areas, unrelated to the radiographer license.
Specialties that follow the general New York 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 New York 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 New York 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
New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection (BERP). 'Corning Tower – Empire State Plaza' is the building/mailing address, not the name of the licensing agency.
Board Website·Application Portal·License Verification
Phone: (518) 402-7580
Email: [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
Last verified: April 15, 2026. 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 New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection (BERP). 'Corning Tower – Empire State Plaza' is the building/mailing address, not the name of the licensing agency.'s official website.
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