To become an X-ray tech in California, you need to finish a radiologic technology program approved by the California Department of Public Health, Radiologic Health Branch (CDPH-RHB), pass the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) radiography exam, and then apply to CDPH-RHB for a Certified Radiologic Technologist (CRT) certificate. Plan on roughly two to three years from the day you start school to the day your certificate arrives in the mail.
Pick and Finish an Approved Radiologic Technology Program
California issues two kinds of certificates under its Radiologic Technology Act: one for diagnostic radiologic technology and one for therapeutic radiologic technology.1California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 114870 If you want to work as an X-ray tech, you’re almost certainly enrolling in a diagnostic program.
Approved programs award either an associate degree or a certificate and typically run about two years full-time. Coursework covers radiation physics, anatomy, patient positioning, image production, and radiation safety, and you’ll spend hundreds of hours in supervised clinical rotations at hospitals or imaging centers. Admission is competitive; prerequisite anatomy, physiology, and math courses are common, and popular programs turn away far more applicants than they accept.
When you compare programs, check two lists: CDPH-RHB’s list of approved California schools, and the accreditation roster of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT). Most approved California programs carry JRCERT accreditation, and that matters for two reasons. It’s one of the pathways ARRT recognizes for exam eligibility, and it opens a shortcut to the fluoroscopy permit later.
Pass the ARRT Radiography Exam
After graduation, you sit for the ARRT radiography exam. To be eligible, you need to have completed an ARRT-recognized educational program in radiography and hold at least an associate degree.2The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Primary Eligibility Pathway Requirements If your program awards a certificate rather than a degree, you’ll need to earn the associate degree somewhere before ARRT will let you test.
The exam is computer-based and multiple-choice, covering patient care, radiation safety, image production, and clinical procedures. You get preliminary results before leaving the testing center. Pass, and you become a Registered Technologist in Radiography, written R.T.(R). That credential is the key that unlocks the California application.
You get three attempts within a three-year window from your graduation date. Miss that window and you may need additional education before ARRT will consider you eligible again.
Clear Any Ethics or Background Issues Before You Apply
ARRT requires every applicant to demonstrate good moral character and reviews criminal history and ethics issues before granting certification.2The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Primary Eligibility Pathway Requirements Misdemeanor or felony convictions, military courts-martial, disciplinary action from a regulatory board, and serious academic integrity violations all have to be disclosed.
If you have something to disclose and you’re more than eight months from graduation, use ARRT’s pre-application ethics review. You send in documentation and a nonrefundable fee, and the Ethics Committee decides whether the issue warrants a sanction. The review can take three months or longer.3The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Ethics Review Preapplication A sanction can bar you from applying for certification for a set period, which stalls the whole timeline. Inside the eight-month window, the pre-application route isn’t available and you’ll report the issue on your certification application instead.
Apply to CDPH-RHB for Your CRT Certificate
Once you have the R.T.(R) credential, you submit Form CDPH 8200 to CDPH-RHB along with a copy of your graduation diploma or certificate from the approved program, proof of passing the ARRT exam, and a nonrefundable $112 fee per certificate category.4California Department of Public Health. Radiologic Technology Certificate Application Applying for both diagnostic and therapeutic certificates means a separate application and $112 for each.
CDPH-RHB mails you a notification letter within 30 calendar days of receiving your application.4California Department of Public Health. Radiologic Technology Certificate Application You cannot legally take X-rays on patients in California until the certificate is issued. A pending application isn’t a permission slip, and the state enforces unauthorized practice under the Radiologic Technology Act.
Add the Fluoroscopy Permit If You’ll Need It
Fluoroscopy produces real-time moving images using continuous X-ray beams and is used heavily in hospitals, operating rooms, and GI labs. California requires a separate Radiologic Technologist Fluoroscopy (RTF) permit for it.
This is where school choice pays off. If you graduated on or after January 1, 2011 from a JRCERT-accredited diagnostic program and passed the ARRT radiography exam, you qualify without sitting for a separate fluoroscopy exam, and you file Form CDPH 8228.5California Department of Public Health. Fluoroscopy Permit FAQ Graduate before 2011 or from a non-JRCERT program and you’ll use Form CDPH 8218 and pass the state fluoroscopy exam.
Outpatient clinics doing standard X-rays only don’t require the permit. If you want to work in surgical suites or GI, get it early.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Your CRT certificate expires every two years. Renewal requires 24 approved continuing education credits in the two years leading up to expiration, and four of those credits must specifically cover digital radiography.6California Department of Public Health. Continuing Education Requirements for Certificate/Permit Renewal Fluoroscopy permit holders must put four of the 24 credits into radiation safety for clinical fluoroscopy. Mammographic CRT holders need 10 of the 24 in mammography.
Keep documentation of your credits for four years after earning them; CDPH-RHB can ask to see it.6California Department of Public Health. Continuing Education Requirements for Certificate/Permit Renewal Practicing on a lapsed certificate carries the same legal exposure as practicing without one, so don’t leave CE for the last month.
ARRT separately requires 24 approved CE credits every two-year biennium to maintain the R.T.(R) credential.7The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Biennial CE Requirements The two obligations overlap, and many single courses count toward both, but they are tracked separately. Picking ARRT-approved courses that also hit California’s digital radiography or fluoroscopy topics keeps you from doing the work twice.
What the Job Pays in California
California is one of the best-paying states for radiologic technologists. Bureau of Labor Statistics data put the mean annual wage in California at $99,680, compared with a national median of $65,140.8Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages – Radiologic Technologists and Technicians The state’s cost of living is higher, but the pay still holds up well against other allied health careers that require only an associate degree.
Nationally, employment of radiologic technologists is projected to grow about 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, adding roughly 9,800 positions, about average for all occupations.9Bureau of Labor Statistics. Radiologic and MRI Technologists – Occupational Outlook Handbook Adding CT, MRI, or mammography credentials after your initial CRT tends to raise pay and broaden where you can work.