Virginia X-Ray Certification: Full and Limited Scope, ARRT Exam

To get certified to operate X-ray equipment in Virginia, you need a license from the Virginia Board of Medicine. The Virginia x-ray certification requirements are the same regardless of which of the two license types you pursue: graduate from an education program acceptable to the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), pass the corresponding ARRT exam, and submit a $130 application to the Board.¹ One exception matters up front: if you work in a Virginia-licensed hospital and are acting within the scope of your employment, you do not need this license.²

Which Agency Issues Your License

Two Virginia agencies regulate radiography, and they do different things. The Board of Medicine, within the Department of Health Professions, handles individual licensure. The Virginia Department of Health’s Radiological Health Program regulates the machines and the facilities that house them.³ For your personal credential to take X-rays of patients, the Board of Medicine is the agency you deal with.

The Hospital Employee Exemption

Employees of hospitals licensed under Virginia Code § 32.1-123 are exempt from the radiologic technologist licensing requirement when acting within the scope of their employment.² The exemption does not extend to outpatient clinics, urgent care centers, chiropractic offices, podiatry practices, or any other non-hospital setting. If you work outside a licensed hospital, you need a Board of Medicine license, regardless of what your employer tells you.

Full Scope or Limited Scope

Virginia offers two license categories, and picking the right one is the first real decision.

Radiologic Technologist (Full Scope)

The full-scope license allows you to perform radiographic imaging across all body regions. It is the standard credential for full-time radiologic technologists and the harder of the two paths to complete.⁴

Radiologic Technologist-Limited

The limited-scope license restricts you to specific anatomical areas: chest, extremities, spine, skull and sinuses, abdomen and pelvis, bone density, or podiatric imaging.³ It is a common fit for physician offices, chiropractic clinics, and podiatry practices where only certain views are ever needed. Education and exam requirements are lighter, which makes this a more accessible entry point.

Education Requirements

For the Full-Scope License

You must graduate from an educational program acceptable to the ARRT for the purpose of sitting for its certification exam.⁵ In practice that means an associate degree or higher in radiologic technology from a program accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT). Virginia community colleges, including Central Virginia Community College and Northern Virginia Community College, offer two-year programs that combine classroom instruction in radiation physics, anatomy, and patient positioning with supervised clinical rotations. Program length is typically 24 months, and graduates earn an Associate of Applied Science degree before sitting for the ARRT exam.

For the Limited-Scope License

The education bar is lower. Coursework must be directed by a radiologic technologist who holds a bachelor’s degree and current ARRT certification, and instructors must be licensed radiologic technologists or board-certified radiologists. The minimum coursework includes 25 clock hours in image production and equipment operation, plus instruction in the specific anatomical areas you plan to practice.⁶ Employer-sponsored programs and shorter certificate courses can meet the requirement.

The ARRT Exam

Full Radiography Exam

Full-scope applicants take the ARRT national certification exam in radiography. ARRT uses scaled scoring on a 1-to-99 scale, and a scaled score of 75 is required to pass. That 75 is not a percentage of questions answered correctly; the number of correct answers needed to reach it varies by exam version.⁷ The application fee, which covers the exam, is $225.⁸

Limited Scope Exam

Limited-scope applicants take the ARRT Limited Scope of Practice in Radiography exam. It has a 100-question core module covering patient care, safety, and image production, plus a procedure module for each anatomical area you want to be licensed in. Taken through Virginia, the fee is $100, with bone densitometry adding another $100.³

Retake Limits

ARRT allows three attempts within three years to pass a certification exam. The three-year clock starts on the first day of your initial exam window. If you use all three attempts or the three years run out, your eligibility ends and you have to reapply.⁹ Virginia defers to ARRT on retakes and adds no separate state restrictions.⁴

Applying to the Board of Medicine

Once you have your ARRT certification, or are ready to sit for the limited-scope exam through the Board, you apply online at license.dhp.virginia.gov. The nonrefundable application fee is $130, payable only by Visa, MasterCard, or Discover. Applications submitted without payment will not be processed.¹

You also need to arrange for these documents to reach the Board:

An official transcript sent by your school directly to the Board. Schools can email transcripts to RadTech-Medbd@dhp.virginia.gov.
Verification of ARRT certification sent by ARRT directly to the Board. Copies you send yourself are not accepted.
License verification from any other state where you hold a radiologic technologist license, sent by that jurisdiction directly to the Board.
Your employment history since graduation, if you have practiced previously or held licensure elsewhere.

Credential documents have to come from the issuing institution, not from you. Faxed transcripts and faxed ARRT verifications are generally not accepted. The Board will not process the application until every required item has arrived, so requesting transcripts and verifications early is the difference between a smooth review and weeks of delay.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Virginia radiologic technologist licenses renew every two years during your birth month in each odd-numbered year. The active renewal fee is $135, or $70 for an inactive license.¹ A license not renewed by the first day of the month after your birth month expires automatically.

Full-scope licensees must complete 24 hours of continuing education acceptable to the ARRT during each two-year renewal period, with at least 12 hours qualifying as ARRT Category A credits. Limited-scope licensees need 12 CE hours per biennium, and the coursework must correspond to the anatomical areas in which they practice.¹⁰

One detail that catches new licensees: you are exempt from CE requirements for your first biennial renewal after initial licensure in Virginia.¹⁰ After that first cycle, the CE clock runs continuously.

Practicing Without a License

Virginia law makes it unlawful to practice as a radiologic technologist, or to use the title “licensed radiologic technologist,” without holding a valid Board of Medicine license. The same prohibition covers anyone whose license has been suspended, revoked, or allowed to lapse.² Using the title is prohibited on its own, even if you are not actively performing imaging.

The Board of Medicine can impose fines, suspend or revoke a license, or require remedial training. Employers who allow unlicensed staff to perform radiographic procedures in non-hospital settings risk disciplinary action against the facility’s operating authority. Cases involving patient harm or deliberate fraud can escalate to criminal prosecution.

1
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC85-101-25 – Fees
2
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 54.1-2956.8:1 – Unlawful to Practice Radiologic Technology Without License
3
Virginia Board of Medicine. Radiologic Technology
4
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC85-101-40 – Licensure Requirements
5
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC85-101 – Regulations Governing the Licensure of Radiologic Technologists
6
Cornell Law School. Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC85-101-55 – Educational Requirements for Radiologic Technologists-Limited
7
ARRT. Exam Scoring
8
ARRT. Application Fees
9
ARRT. Certification and Registration – Limit of Three Attempts in Three Years
10
Virginia Board of Medicine. Radiologic Technology – Continuing Education