Ohio Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
1-3 days online
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$65
Renewal: $45
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
Renewal
24 hours
Every 2 years
State Overview
Ohio 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-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, 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 Ohio's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in Ohio, 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: Ohio Department of Health (ODH) radiologic license as a Radiographer under ORC Chapter 4773 / OAC 3701-72; eligibility via ARRT radiography certification or an equivalent out-of-state credential.
- 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.
Fees & 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.
| Credential | Application | Renewal | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiographer | $65 | $45 | Every 2 years |
| Radiation Therapist | $65 | $45 | Every 2 years |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $65 | $45 | Every 2 years |
| Limited-Scope X-ray Operator (General X-ray Machine Operator / GXMO) | $65 | $45 | Every 2 years |
There is no state fee line for Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound) and Medical Physicist, because Ohio does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
$65 initial; $45 renewal, biennial (OAC 3701-72-02). Online via OHID is the fast path.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 2 years, on licensee's birthday.
- Continuing education: Ohio 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.
- 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.
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 Ohio Department of Health 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: 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.
Processing & Timing
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. 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.
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.
Quick start: Ohio is one of the states where the credential can be in hand within days of a complete application, so licensing does not have to gate a fast assignment start.
Specialty Differences
Most of the radiology family in Ohio 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 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 for therapeutic (cancer treatment) 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, and 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. The hiring facility credentials them against your ARRT post-primary certification, and you still need the general radiologic technologist license underneath: 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
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 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, confirm with your recruiter 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.
Official Resources
Ohio Department of Health
Board Website·Application Portal·License Verification
Phone: (614) 752-2370
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 Ohio Department of Health's official website.
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