Washington Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide

Washington Radiology License Overview

Washington licenses radiology as more than a single credential. Alongside the general radiologic technologist license, it also recognizes:

• Base licenses: MRI Technologist; Radiation Therapist; Nuclear Medicine Technologist
• Limited-permit tier: X-Ray Technician (Limited Scope)

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

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

Washington Radiology License Requirements

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

• National certification: confirm with the board which ARRT credential Washington accepts, and whether it must stay current.
• Credential required: Graduation from an approved radiologic technology program (or approved alternate training) plus passing an approved radiologic technology exam (ARRT); ARRT primary certification is the accepted pathway. Title used: Certified Radiologic Technologist (CRT) / Certified Radiologic Diagnostic Technologist (CRDT).
• Scope of the base license: Handling X-ray equipment to apply ionizing radiation on humans for diagnostic purposes at the direction of a licensed practitioner, under chapter 18.84 RCW / chapter 246-926 WAC.
• Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.

Washington Radiology License Fees and Credentials

Washington 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 Washington does not license those modalities.

$150 application; $105 renewal, biennial by birthday (WAC 246-926-990). A ~$34 fingerprint background-check fee is separate.

Washington Radiology License Renewal and CE

• Renewal cycle: every 2 years, prior to license holder's birth date.
• Continuing education: Washington sets no state CE hours for the general license.
• Radiographer / Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist CE: One-time 3-hour suicide prevention training is required at initial licensure; there is no recurring state CE beyond maintaining ARRT.

How to Get a Washington Radiology License

In outline, applying takes four steps:

1. Confirm the credential Washington 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 Washington State 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: submitting incomplete employment verification or unclear credential history, requiring board staff to contact previous employer/state board directly and adding 1-2 week delays.

Washington Radiology License Processing Time

Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. Washington does not publish a standard turnaround for radiology, so allow extra time before your start date.

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.

Washington's lack of temporary licensing and 2-8 week endorsement timeline requires long lead planning. High risk of start date delay if application is incomplete or ARRT verification encounters issues. Plan conservatively.

Washington Radiology Specialty Rules

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

CT Technologist

Divergence: facility-credentialed. Computed tomography uses ionizing radiation, so it falls within the diagnostic radiologic technologist certification. Chapter 18.84 RCW defines no separate CT category.

• Credential: No Washington state CT credential. Practitioners hold the base diagnostic radiologic technologist certification; CT competency is demonstrated via ARRT post-primary CT certification and credentialed by the hiring facility

How it differs from the general license: Washington issues no distinct CT license or supplemental authorization. CT is performed under the base diagnostic radiologic technologist certification, with CT-specific competency (ARRT CT) credentialed by the employer rather than the state.

MRI Technologist

Divergence: separate license. Operating a nonionizing magnetic resonance process on humans to produce anatomic/physiologic images at the direction of a licensed practitioner.

• Fee: $150 application, $105 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Certification as a magnetic resonance imaging technologist under chapter 18.84 RCW: graduation from an approved program (or approved alternate training) and passing an approved exam (ARRT MRI is the accepted credential)

How it differs from the general license: Unusually, Washington licenses MRI by statute even though it uses no ionizing radiation. MRI is its own RT category defined in RCW 18.84.020, distinct from the diagnostic radiographer category, and requires its own certification rather than being performed under the base radiographer license.

Radiation Therapist

Divergence: separate license. Using radiation-generating equipment for therapeutic (treatment) purposes on humans under licensed practitioner supervision.

• Fee: $150 application, $105 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Certification as a therapeutic radiologic technologist under chapter 18.84 RCW: approved program/alternate training plus an approved exam (ARRT Radiation Therapy). Title: Certified Radiologic Therapy Technologist (CRTT)

How it differs from the general license: Distinct statutory category from the diagnostic radiographer: scope is therapeutic radiation delivery, not diagnostic imaging, and requires its own therapeutic RT certification (and ARRT Radiation Therapy primary pathway) rather than the diagnostic license.

Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Divergence: separate license. Preparing radiopharmaceuticals and administering them to humans for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes; in vivo/in vitro detection and measurement of radioactivity for medical purposes at the direction of a licensed practitioner.

• Fee: $150 application, $105 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Certification as a nuclear medicine technologist under chapter 18.84 RCW: approved program/alternate training plus an approved exam (ARRT Nuclear Medicine or NMTCB). Title: Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist (CNMT)

How it differs from the general license: Distinct statutory category from the diagnostic radiographer: involves radiopharmaceutical preparation/administration and radioactivity measurement rather than X-ray imaging, and requires its own nuclear medicine RT certification (ARRT-N or NMTCB pathway).

Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound

Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound uses nonionizing sound waves and is not a defined category under chapter 18.84 RCW.

• Credential: No Washington state credential. Employers typically require ARDMS (RDMS) certification, credentialed by the hiring facility

How it differs from the general license: Washington issues no sonography license. Unlike MRI, which the statute carves out as a regulated nonionizing category, diagnostic medical sonography is not addressed in chapter 18.84 RCW, so it is credentialed entirely by the employer against ARDMS certification.

X-Ray Technician (Limited Scope)

Divergence: limited-scope tier. Applies ionizing radiation at the direction of a licensed practitioner; does not perform parenteral procedures. A reduced-scope credential below the full radiologic technologist certification.

• Fee: $105 application, $103 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Registration as an X-ray technician under chapter 18.84 RCW (the 'registered X-ray technician'); reduced-scope competency rather than full ARRT registration

How it differs from the general license: A separate, lower-tier registration (not a certification) with a narrower scope than the full radiographer credential, a lower fee ($105/$103 vs. $150/$105), and no requirement for full ARRT registration. Holders may not perform parenteral procedures.

Medical Physicist

Divergence: no state credential. Medical Physicist is not a defined or regulated profession within Washington's radiologic technologist scheme.

• Credential: No Washington state license for Medical Physicists under chapter 18.84 RCW

How it differs from the general license: Washington does not license Medical Physicists under chapter 18.84 RCW (the radiologic imaging professionals statute). Only a handful of states (commonly TX, FL, HI, NY) license Medical Physicists; Washington is not among them.

Specialties That Follow the General Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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.

Washington Licensing Board and Resources

Washington State Department of Health

Board Website · Application Portal · License Verification

Phone: (360) 234-4700