Texas Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
Not published
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$130
Renewal: $94 · Temp license available
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
Renewal
See details
Every 2 years
State Overview
Texas licenses radiology as more than a single credential. Alongside the general radiologic technologist license, it recognizes a separate license (Medical Physicist), plus a limited-permit tier (Limited Medical Radiologic Technologist (LMRT)).
A few other modalities are not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Texas 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 Texas's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in Texas, 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 certification in a radiography discipline; pass the Texas Jurisprudence (JP) exam; fingerprint-based criminal history check.
- Scope of the base license: Authorization to perform radiologic procedures (procedures that achieve their purpose through the emission of ionizing radiation). The base certificate for ARRT-certified technologists practicing full-scope radiography in Texas.
- Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.
Fees & Credentials
Texas 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 Medical Radiologic Technologist (GMRT) | $130 | $94 | Every 2 years |
| Limited Medical Radiologic Technologist (LMRT) | — | $94 | Every 2 years |
| Medical Physicist | $130 | — | Every 2 years |
There is no state fee line for Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound, because Texas does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
$130 GMRT (includes the jurisprudence exam + a $5 OPP fee), biennial (TMB). The doc's $80 is the temp-limited tier. A mandatory IdentoGo fingerprint fee applies on top.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 2 years, (biennially; expires February 28th or August 31st).
- Continuing education: your CE is whatever ARRT requires to keep your credential active. Texas does not appear to add its own hour mandate for the general license.
- Limited Medical Radiologic Technologist (LMRT) CE: Subject to a 24-hour/24-month CE requirement like the general certificate; an active ARRT card in good standing can satisfy CE except the human trafficking prevention course.
- Medical Physicist CE: Continuing education governed under a separate medical physicist schedule (TMB CE requirements for medical physicists), independent of the MRT 24-hr/24-month requirement.
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 Texas Radiology Board 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: incorrect or missing ARRT certification number or verification method, board cannot verify qualification without valid ARRT documentation; resubmission adds 1-2 weeks.
Processing & Timing
Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. Texas 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.
Texas assignment feasibility is moderate-risk. Temp license availability (180 days with local sponsor) allows assignment start while permanent endorsement processes, but recruiter must secure sponsor before application and verify no professionalism issues delay permanent license issuance.
Specialty Differences
Most of the radiology family in Texas 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 performed under the authority of the general MRT certificate.
- Credential: General Medical Radiologic Technologist certificate; ARRT post-primary CT certification is employer/facility-applied, not a separate Texas credential
Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound
Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation, so it falls outside the Ch. 601 'radiologic procedure' definition. Texas issues no sonography license.
- Credential: No Texas state license. Employers effectively require national certification (ARDMS RDMS/RDCS/RVT or ARRT(S))
How it differs from the general license: Unlike the radiographer license, Texas does not regulate or credential sonographers at all; competency is established through voluntary national certification required by employers rather than any state authorization.
Limited Medical Radiologic Technologist (LMRT)
Divergence: limited-scope tier. Authorization to perform radiologic procedures only on specific parts of the human body. Texas categories include skull, chest, spine, extremities, podiatric, chiropractic, and cardiovascular.
- Fee: $94 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: Pass the ARRT Limited Scope of Practice in Radiography exam for the applicable category and the Texas LMRT exam/Jurisprudence requirements; does not require full ARRT radiography certification
- CE: Subject to a 24-hour/24-month CE requirement like the general certificate; an active ARRT card in good standing can satisfy CE except the human trafficking prevention course
How it differs from the general license: A below-full-license credential restricted to enumerated body regions, rather than full-scope radiography. It requires only the ARRT limited-scope exam (not full ARRT certification) and cannot perform the complete range of radiologic procedures the general MRT certificate authorizes.
Medical Physicist
Divergence: separate license. Practice of medical radiological physics in one or more licensed specialties: Diagnostic Radiological Physics, Therapeutic Radiological Physics, Medical Nuclear Physics, and Medical Health Physics.
- Fee: $130 application, every 2 years
- Credential: Distinct license, not derived from the MRT certificate. Requires CAMPEP-accredited education (or equivalent physics/physical-science degree), passage of board-approved specialty examinations, and a Texas Jurisprudence exam
- CE: Continuing education governed under a separate medical physicist schedule (TMB CE requirements for medical physicists), independent of the MRT 24-hr/24-month requirement
How it differs from the general license: An entirely separate professional license (Ch. 602), not a technologist certificate. It licenses physicists rather than technologists, requires advanced physics education and specialty board exams, and is divided into four physics specialties unrelated to the MRT certificate.
Specialties that follow the general Texas license
These run under the general radiologic technologist license and need no separate state credential: Radiation Therapist, Nuclear Medicine Technologist, and 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 Texas 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 Texas 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
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 Texas Radiology Board's official website.
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