Ohio Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide

Ohio Radiology License Overview

Ohio 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-Scope X-ray Operator (General X-ray Machine Operator / GXMO)

A few other modalities are credentialed by the hiring facility or not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Ohio license. The specialty section below covers each.

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

Ohio Radiology License Requirements

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

• National certification: confirm with the board which ARRT credential Ohio accepts, and whether it must stay current.
• Credential required: ODH radiologic license as a Radiographer under ORC Chapter 4773 / OAC 3701-72. You need evidence of completing an educational program accredited by ODH and a passing score on the Ohio exam, which is waived if you hold ARRT radiographer certification or a comparable credential from another state.
• Scope of the base license: Full-scope diagnostic radiography: operates ionizing-radiation equipment, administers contrast, and determines positioning and dosage for comprehensive diagnostic procedures on humans.
• Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.

Ohio Radiology License Fees and Credentials

Ohio 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 Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound) and Medical Physicist, because Ohio does not license those modalities.

$65 initial; $45 renewal, biennial (OAC 3701-72-02). Online via OHID is the fast path.

Ohio Radiology License Renewal and CE

• Renewal cycle: every 2 years, on licensee's birthday.
• Continuing education: Ohio 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.
• Limited-Scope X-ray Operator (General X-ray Machine Operator / GXMO) CE: 12 CE credits per 2-year cycle, half the 24 credits required of full radiographer/NMT/radiation-therapist licensees.

How to Get an Ohio Radiology License

In outline, applying takes four steps:

1. Confirm the credential Ohio 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 Ohio Department of Health through the application portal.
4. Arrange the verification the board asks for: ARRT or direct board verification.

Common slip-ups travelers hit here: applicant submits ARRT verification request directly to ARRT instead of allowing Ohio board to request; creates duplicate/conflicting verification that delays processing by 3-5 days.

Ohio Radiology License Processing Time

Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. In Ohio: 1-3 days online; 2-3 weeks mailed. 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.

Ohio's lack of temporary licensing combined with 1-3 week processing timelines makes assignments with short notice very difficult. No emergency licensing pathway exists; permanent license must be in hand before first day of work.

Ohio Radiology Specialty Rules

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

CT Technologist

Divergence: specialty difference. Computed tomography is performed by a radiographer; OAC 3701-83-52 (freestanding diagnostic imaging centers) lists 'an individual licensed as a radiographer under Chapter 4773' as qualified to perform CT.

• Credential: Performed under the ODH Radiographer license (ORC Ch. 4773). No separate Ohio CT credential

Radiation Therapist

Divergence: separate license. Uses ionizing radiation-generating equipment, including therapy simulator equipment, for therapeutic purposes on humans.

• Fee: $65 application, $45 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Distinct ODH radiologic license category, Radiation Therapist, under ORC Ch. 4773 / OAC 3701-72; eligibility typically via ARRT radiation therapy certification

How it differs from the general license: It is its own statutory license category separate from the diagnostic radiographer license, authorizing therapeutic delivery of ionizing radiation rather than diagnostic imaging.

Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Divergence: separate license. Prepares and administers radiopharmaceuticals and performs in vivo / in vitro detection procedures.

• Fee: $65 application, $45 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Distinct ODH radiologic license category, Nuclear Medicine Technologist, under ORC Ch. 4773 / OAC 3701-72

How it differs from the general license: It is its own statutory license category separate from the radiographer license, covering radiopharmaceutical administration and nuclear detection rather than x-ray radiography.

Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound)

Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation and is outside ODH radiologic licensure; Ohio does not license sonographers.

• Credential: No Ohio state license. Employers generally prefer or require ARDMS (or ARRT-S) certification, but the state issues no credential

How it differs from the general license: Unlike the radiographer license, sonography involves no ionizing radiation and is not regulated by ODH; there is no state credential at all and employers rely on national (ARDMS) certification.

Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (General X-Ray Machine Operator / GXMO)

Divergence: limited-scope tier. Reduced scope: performs only specified body-site radiographs (chest/abdomen, extremities, skull/sinus, spine, podiatric radiography, bone densitometry) and only under direct supervision of a physician, podiatrist, mechanotherapist, or chiropractor. Cannot administer contrast or independently determine positioning/dosage like a full radiographer.

• Fee: $65 application, $45 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: ODH General X-ray Machine Operator (GXMO) limited-scope license under ORC Ch. 4773 / OAC 3701-72; requires passing a state GXMO examination (separate from the ARRT radiography exam) and completion of competency-based clinical training modules
• CE: 12 CE credits per 2-year cycle, half the 24 credits required of full radiographer/NMT/radiation-therapist licensees

How it differs from the general license: It is a reduced-scope license below the full radiographer credential:

• Limited to enumerated body sites
• Requires direct practitioner supervision
• Qualifies via a state GXMO exam rather than the ARRT radiography exam
• Requires only 12 CE credits versus 24 for the full license

Medical Physicist

Divergence: no state credential. Medical physics support (equipment surveys, dosimetry) is governed through facility/radiation-machine registration and certification standards rather than an individual ODH license.

• Credential: Ohio issues no general Medical-Physicist practitioner license. Narrow, role-specific certification requirements exist (e.g., a qualified Medical Physicist for CT/mammography under facility/radiation-machine rules, and federal MQSA mammography physicist surveyor qualifications), but these are not a personal state license comparable to a radiographer credential

How it differs from the general license: Unlike the radiographer license, Ohio does not license Medical Physicists as individuals; qualification is established through facility/radiation-control certification standards (e.g., ABMP/ABR board certification recognized in mammography and CT rules) rather than a state-issued personal license.

Credentialed by the Facility, Not the State

Ohio does not separately license these modalities, so the hiring facility credentials them: MRI Technologist.

Specialties That Follow the General Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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.

Ohio Licensing Board and Resources

Ohio Department of Health

Board Website · Application Portal · License Verification

Phone: (614) 752-2370

Email: [email protected]