The information on this page is solely for reference material as of September 2026. Regulations, fees, and forms change often. To be sure of the most up-to-date requirements, contact the Arkansas Department of Health's Radiation Control Section or Radiologic Technology Licensure Program directly before relying on any figure below.
Overview
Bringing a new x-ray system online in Arkansas — stationary or portable — means clearing two separate regulatory tracks before it can be used on a patient. The equipment itself has to be registered with the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), and the person operating it has to hold the right license or fall under a recognized exemption. This guide walks through both tracks in order: registering the machine, licensing the operator, and staying current once you're up and running.
Regulatory Framework
Radiation-producing equipment in Arkansas is regulated under the Radiation Protection chapter of the Arkansas Code, specifically the Ionizing Radiation subchapter (Ark. Code Ann. § 20-21-201 et seq.), implemented through ADH's Rules for Control of Sources of Ionizing Radiation (20 CAR Part 3). ADH's Radiation Control Section administers registration, inspection, and enforcement for x-ray-producing machines statewide. Operator licensing sits with a separate ADH program — the Radiologic Technology Licensure Program, governed by its own rules (17 CAR Part 49).
Two Separate Requirements
Every state splits oversight into a facility side and a people side, and Arkansas is no exception:
1. Facility registration — registering the physical location and the x-ray equipment itself with ADH's Radiation Control Section. This is the bulk of what this guide covers: fees, an approved Radiation Safety Officer, and periodic inspections.
2. Operator training — for most operators, this means holding a personal Arkansas Radiologic Technologist license through a separate ADH program, unless the operator qualifies for one of the practitioner exemptions covered below. A facility can have a fully registered machine and still be out of compliance if the person operating it isn't properly licensed or exempt.
Who Must Register
Arkansas requires registration of x-ray machines by anyone with physical possession or control of one — medical, dental, podiatric, veterinary, chiropractic, or industrial. Out-of-state mobile providers bringing equipment into Arkansas temporarily use a separate reciprocity notice rather than a full facility registration (see Step 8 below).
Registration Steps
- Designate a Radiation Safety Officer. Identify who will serve as RSO for the equipment and be ready to submit their qualifications — ADH reviews and approves the RSO as part of registration.
- Complete RC Form 200. File the Radiation Machine Facility Registration form with ADH's Radiation Control Section for each physical location where equipment will be used.
- Submit within 30 days of acquisition. Registration is due within 30 days of taking physical possession or control of the machine.
- Pay the registration fee. ADH bills $65 per tube per year, capped at $260 annually per facility — see the X-Ray Registration Fee Schedule for the full breakdown by category.
- Receive your registration number. Once processed, ADH issues a registration number tied to that physical location.
- Report any changes within 10 days. If anything on file becomes inaccurate — ownership, address, equipment changes — file RC Form 201 (Registration Change Request) within 10 days.
- Notify ADH of discontinuance within 10 days. Permanently stopping use, or disposing of or transferring equipment, requires written notice to ADH within 10 days, including disposal records where applicable.
- Use RC Form 202 for reciprocity, if applicable. An out-of-state provider bringing portable or mobile equipment into Arkansas temporarily files the X-Ray Reciprocity Notice of Entry (RC Form 202) rather than a full facility registration.
Required Information
When submitting RC Form 200, be ready to provide: the facility name, address, and the person or entity with physical possession or control of the equipment; the RSO's name and qualifications; the make, model, and serial number of the x-ray machine and tube; the intended clinical or industrial use; and the number of tubes being registered (since the fee is assessed per tube).
Equipment & Safety Requirements
Arkansas's general requirements for radiographic x-ray systems are set out under the healing-arts x-ray provisions of the state's rules (RH-1602, General Requirements, and RH-1604, Radiographic Systems). At a minimum, a facility needs:
- Written radiation safety procedures available to operators
- Tube rating charts and cooling-curve charts accessible at or near the control panel
- A dead-man exposure switch, so an exposure can only continue while the operator actively holds it
- A visible or audible indicator confirming when the tube is actually energized
- A technique chart posted at the control panel
- Personnel monitoring and shielding appropriate to the facility's radiation safety program
Federal Assembly Requirements
Separate from Arkansas's own rules, every new medical x-ray system installed in the U.S. is subject to federal performance standards under 21 CFR 1020.30. The assembler (typically the installing dealer or service company) is required to file FDA Form 2579, the Report of Assembly of a Diagnostic X-Ray System, certifying the completed system complies with federal requirements. Keep a copy on file — ADH or an inspector may ask for it during a compliance review.
Fees and Renewal
Registration fee: $65 per tube per year, capped at $260 per facility annually — applies across diagnostic (private practice, dental, podiatric, veterinary), vendor service, and industrial categories. Full breakdown on the X-Ray Registration Fee Schedule.
Renewal interval: annual, each December.
Nonpayment: unpaid fees can lead to enforcement action or registration revocation under Ark. Code Ann. § 20-21-217.
Contact: Arkansas Department of Health, Radiation Control Section — 4815 W. Markham, Little Rock, AR 72205-3867, 1-800-462-0599 (main) / (501) 661-2301 (Radiation Control Section).
Operator Training
Operating an x-ray machine on a patient generally requires an Arkansas Radiologic Technologist license through ADH's Radiologic Technology Licensure Program.
Licensure path: graduate from an accredited radiologic technology program and pass the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) Radiography national registry exam (exam fee paid directly to ARRT).
Fees: $45 for a license in one modality/category, $65 for more than one. A late fee of 50% of the license fee applies once renewal is overdue, and is non-refundable.
Continuing education: six hours in the year preceding renewal — at least three hours in core radiologic science topics.
Limited-scope option: a Limited Licensed Technologist license is available for applicants who pass the Limited Scope Examination in specific body-part categories.
Exemptions: dentists, dental hygienists, registered dental assistants, and chiropractors are exempt from this licensure requirement within their own scope of practice.
License forms and verification: Licensure application forms and license verification are both available directly from ADH.
Contact: ADH Radiologic Technology Licensure Program, 4815 W. Markham, Little Rock, AR 72205-3867.
Personnel Monitoring
Anyone likely to receive more than 10% of the maximum allowable annual occupational dose — more than 500 mrem (0.5 rem) toward the 5 rem total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) annual limit — must be issued a personnel dosimeter. That typically covers staff operating CT, cone-beam CT, panoramic units, fluoroscopy, medical accelerators, and staff regularly present for portable exposures. A facility may request to discontinue monitoring for an individual after 6–12 months if their recorded exposure proves consistently negligible.
Annual occupational dose limit: 5 rem TEDE (0.05 Sv) — consistent with the federal/NRC framework Arkansas's rules are built on.
Required Signage
Arkansas's radiation protection standards follow the same NRC/CRCPD model most states use: post the standard radiation trefoil symbol with wording matched to the hazard level present — typically "CAUTION, RADIATION AREA" for a standard diagnostic room, escalating to "CAUTION" or "DANGER, HIGH RADIATION AREA" where dose rates warrant it. Confirm exact posting requirements for a given room with your radiation safety officer.
Inspections and Compliance
ADH's Radiation Control Section schedules inspections on its own determined frequency and contacts the facility directly when it's time to schedule one — there isn't a single published interval for every equipment type. Keep your RSO designation, safety procedures, and technique charts ready for review. Enforcement authority sits with ADH under Ark. Code Ann. § 20-21-201 et seq. and Part H of the rules, covering registration/license revocation and other corrective action; specific penalty amounts are handled case by case, so confirm current enforcement posture directly with the Radiation Control Section rather than assuming a fixed dollar figure.
Portable/Mobile Equipment
Portable and mobile units are registered the same way as fixed equipment, but carry additional operating rules once deployed away from a fixed installation: the operator must work from behind a protective barrier, or remain at least six feet from the tube head and patient during exposure (whichever the cord/cable length allows), and the useful beam must be directed away from occupied areas whenever practical. Out-of-state mobile providers entering Arkansas temporarily should use RC Form 202 rather than a full facility registration (see Registration Steps above).
Quick-Reference Checklist
Before Starting
- Identify who will serve as Radiation Safety Officer
- Confirm the operator holds an active ADH Radiologic Technology license or qualifies for an exemption
- Gather make/model/serial number and tube count for each machine
To Register
- Complete and submit RC Form 200 within 30 days of acquisition
- Pay the $65-per-tube fee (capped at $260/year per facility)
- Retain the assembler's FDA Form 2579 on file
- File RC Form 202 instead, if entering Arkansas temporarily as an out-of-state mobile provider
Ongoing
- Renew registration every December
- Report information changes within 10 days (RC Form 201) and discontinuance/disposal within 10 days
- Keep personnel dosimetry current and review exposure records against the 5 rem TEDE annual limit
- Renew operator licenses on schedule (6 hours of CE; 50% late fee if overdue)
- Confirm portable-use distance/shielding practice (barrier, or six feet from the tube head) on every off-site exposure
Helpful Links
- ✓X-Ray Program — Arkansas Department of Health, Radiation Control Section
- ✓X-Ray Registration Information
- ✓RC Form 200 — Radiation Machine Facility Registration
- ✓RC Form 201 — Registration Change Request
- ✓RC Form 202 — X-Ray Reciprocity Notice of Entry
- ✓X-Ray Registration Fee Schedule
- ✓X-Ray FAQs
- ✓Radiologic Technology Licensure Program
- ✓Radiologic Technology Licensure Forms
- ✓Radiologic Technology Licensure Verification
- ✓ARRT — How to Apply for State Licensing
- ✓FDA Form 2579 — Report of Assembly of a Diagnostic X-Ray System
- ✓Ark. Code Ann. § 20-21-201 et seq. — Ionizing Radiation
Disclaimer
This guide reflects Maven Imaging's understanding of Arkansas's x-ray registration and licensing requirements as of September 2026, based on publicly available ADH sources and the Department's own citation of the applicable rule sections (RH-1602 and RH-1604 of the Rules for Control of Sources of Ionizing Radiation, 20 CAR Part 3). The full verbatim text of those sections was not independently reproducible from public sources at the time of writing, so the equipment/safety and portable-use requirements above reflect ADH's published guidance and section references rather than a direct quotation of the rule text. This is not legal advice; confirm current requirements, fees, and forms with ADH's Radiation Control Section (1-800-462-0599 / (501) 661-2301) or the Radiologic Technology Licensure Program before making registration, staffing, or equipment decisions.
