Alabama rad tech license: x-ray and sonographer rules

Alabama rad tech license: an x-ray technologist needs no state license, a sonographer none; 16 programs.

The state rules apply where you take the images

Example: Alabama· change any figure to see your own result

Alabama: state license for an x-ray technologist

No

No state license · sonographer: no state license

Radiologic technologist (radiography)No state license
Sonographer (ultrasound)No state license
Limited x-ray operatorNo limited credential in the ASRT table
Other licensed modalitiesNone in the ASRT table
AgencyAlabama Department of Public Health, Radiation Control
Programs reported to IPEDS (2023-24)9 radiography, 7 sonography

Rule from the ASRT state table, checked against the page of Alabama Department of Public Health, Radiation Control on November 13, 2026.

How this is computed

Compiled by Radif Partners · How the rules were read

Alabama is one of the few states where neither an x-ray technologist nor a sonographer needs a state license: the ASRT table shows no credential for any imaging modality there. That does not make the job unregulated in practice. Hospitals and imaging centers hire on the national credential, ARRT for radiography and ARDMS or ARRT for sonography, and the state’s community colleges, Wallace State in Hanceville first among them, train most of the graduates. The radiation control pages of the Alabama Department of Public Health that we read deal with x-ray compliance and the registration of equipment; they publish no license for the people who take the images. By awards in 2023-24, the largest programs were George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville in Hanceville (sonography, 41), University of South Alabama in Mobile (radiography, 39), Cardiac and Vascular Institute of Ultrasound in Mobile (sonography, 38), George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville in Hanceville (radiography, 36), Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham (radiography, 26), Southern Union State Community College in Wadley (radiography, 26), Gadsden State Community College in Gadsden (radiography, 24) and Gadsden State Community College in Gadsden (sonography, 19).

How to get the Alabama rad tech license

There is no state application to file. Finish an accredited radiography or sonography program, pass the ARRT or ARDMS exams, and keep that credential active: it is what an Alabama employer checks.

The ASRT table lists no state rule of any kind for imaging professionals in Alabama.

Alabama rad tech and sonography schools

Alabama: the largest of 9 radiography and 7 sonography programs; public in-state median $4,980 and $4,980 a year (IPEDS 2023-24)
SchoolCityProgramAwards 2023-24In-state tuition and fees
George C Wallace State Community College-HancevilleHancevilleSonography41$4,980
University of South AlabamaMobileRadiography39$9,676
Cardiac and Vascular Institute of UltrasoundMobileSonography38$19,250
George C Wallace State Community College-HancevilleHancevilleRadiography36$4,980
Jefferson State Community CollegeBirminghamRadiography26$5,040
Southern Union State Community CollegeWadleyRadiography26$4,980
Gadsden State Community CollegeGadsdenRadiography24$4,032
Gadsden State Community CollegeGadsdenSonography19$4,032
Lurleen B Wallace Community CollegeAndalusiaSonography15$4,980
Lawson State Community CollegeBirminghamRadiography13$4,980

Tuition and exam: becoming a technologist in Alabama

Example: sonography, 2 years in Alabama· change any figure to see your own result

Sonography in Alabama: tuition and exam

$10,535

$4,980 a year × 2 + ARDMS SPI and one specialty $575

Median public in-state tuition and fees in Alabama$4,980 a year (2023-24)
Years of study2
Exam fees$575
State licenseNo state license
Full calculator: Sonographer: the job and the route →

Questions students and technologists ask

Tap a question to see the answer.

Do I need a license to be a radiology tech in Alabama?

No state license exists for radiographers in Alabama, according to the ASRT table we read on November 13, 2026. Employers still ask for ARRT certification and registration in nearly every posting, and the radiation rules of the Department of Public Health apply to the equipment and the facility, not to a personal license.

Where can I study sonography in Alabama?

Alabama community colleges and universities reported sonography graduates to the federal IPEDS survey for 2023-24; the table on this page lists them with their in-state tuition. Wallace State Community College in Hanceville reported the largest imaging class in the state that year.

How much does rad tech or sonography school cost in Alabama?

Yearly tuition and required fees for residents in 2023-24, from the IPEDS charges file, the five lowest: Gadsden State Community College in Gadsden, $4,032 ($7,080 for nonresidents); H Councill Trenholm State Community College in Montgomery, $4,890 ($8,700 for nonresidents); George C Wallace Community College-Dothan in Dothan, $4,920 ($8,730 for nonresidents); George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville in Hanceville, $4,980 ($8,790 for nonresidents); Southern Union State Community College in Wadley, $4,980 ($8,790 for nonresidents).

Next steps

Rad tech license by state

39 jurisdictions issue a credential to radiographers; the word each uses, and the 12 that do not.

Sonographer license by state

Only 5 places license sonographers; the agency of each, and what the other states ask instead.

Moving to another state

Licensed in one state, moving to another: whether you need a new state credential, and where to apply.

Radiology tech schools

482 radiography programs with graduates in 2023-24: find those of your state with tuition and fees.

State tables, agency pages, fee pages and federal files behind this page (4)

Each form number, fee, length and signer list was read on these official documents on November 13, 2026.

Compiled by

Independent publisher of state-by-state licensing rules and exam cost calculators for sonographers and radiologic technologists. Paid by no one: no school lead, no affiliate link, no paid placement.

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The answers apply the ASRT state table and the agency pages read on November 13, 2026, and the IPEDS files for 2023-24. Rules change: your state agency decides.