Rad tech license in another state: what changes when you move

A rad tech license from another state does not transfer: in 39 jurisdictions you apply again. Pick your two states to see what changes.

The state rules apply where you take the images

Career

Example: a sonographer moving from Ohio to Texas· change any figure to see your own result

Moving from Ohio to Texas: new state credential

No

Texas issues no sonography credential: your national credential travels with you

TexasNo state license
OhioNo state license
National credentialARDMS (or ARRT sonography): valid in every state
Agency to contactTexas Medical Board

A state credential does not transfer: each state issues its own. Rule from the ASRT state table, checked against the page of Texas Medical Board on November 13, 2026.

How this is computed

Compiled by Radif Partners · How the rules were read

No interstate compact covers radiologic technologists or sonographers in the sources we read on November 13, 2026: each state issues its own credential, on its own application. What travels is the national credential. ARRT certification and registration is valid in every state and renewed every year, by the last day of the birth month; ARDMS credentials renew every year, fees due by December 31 (renewal opens in September). Some states ease the move: Connecticut, for example, has a route for applicants licensed in another state for at least four years. Moving from a state without a license, such as North Carolina, to one with a license, such as Virginia, means applying for the first time; moving the other way means nothing to file.

Rad tech license in another state: the steps

1. Check the destination state in the tool above, or on its state page. 2. Keep your ARRT or ARDMS credential active during the move. 3. Apply to the destination agency before you start work there; most ask for verification of your current license, which agencies such as Virginia’s Board of Medicine and North Dakota’s board send on request. 4. Let the old license lapse or keep it if you may return.

The rules of your new state

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

Texas: state license for an x-ray technologist

Yes

Yes, a state certification · sonographer: no state license

Radiologic technologist (radiography)Yes, a state certification
Sonographer (ultrasound)No state license
Limited x-ray operatorYes: a limited certification
Other licensed modalitiesnuclear medicine, cardiac and vascular interventional, radiation therapy, radiologist assistant
Full calculator: Alabama →

Sonographers who move

Only 5 jurisdictions license sonography, so a sonographer moving between two other states files nothing. Moving into one of the five means a first application there: see the sonographer license by state. For radiographers, the full list is in the rad tech license by state.

Questions students and technologists ask

Tap a question to see the answer.

Can I transfer my x-ray license to another state?

No: a state credential belongs to the state that issued it. In the 39 jurisdictions that credential radiographers, you apply as a new licensee, usually showing your ARRT certification. Some, such as Connecticut, have a separate route for applicants already licensed elsewhere.

Do I need a new license if I move to a state without one?

No state application is needed in a state without a radiography credential, such as Colorado for ARRT-certified technologists, or Alabama and North Carolina. Keep your ARRT certification active: it is what employers check there. The page of your destination state confirms its current rule.

Is there a compact for radiologic technologists?

None appears in the sources we read on November 13, 2026, unlike the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact for physicians mentioned on the Arkansas medical board page. Each state credential is applied for separately. Plan for one application and one fee in each state where you work.

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.

ARRT exam cost

Primary $225, postprimary $225, through ARDMS or NMTCB $450: your total.

Limited x-ray license

27 jurisdictions credential limited x-ray operators; the name each uses and the rules we read.

State tables, agency pages, fee pages and federal files behind this page (5)

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.

Checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

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.