How to Register an X-Ray System in Florida: A Step-by-Step Guide

Whether you're outfitting a new practice or adding a machine to an existing one, here's exactly what Florida requires before you can put an x-ray system to use — and the one requirement almost everyone underestimates.

If you've just purchased, leased, or otherwise taken possession of an x-ray machine in Florida, there's one rule to keep in mind above all else: the machine must be registered before it's placed into clinical use. There's no 30-day grace period to lean on here — expired or missing registrations are among the most common citations the state issues.

The good news is that the process itself is well-documented once you know what's expected. Here's a complete walkthrough of how registration works with the Florida Department of Health (DOH) Bureau of Radiation Control (BRC) — the agency that oversees more than 64,000 x-ray machines across over 21,000 facilities statewide, from dental and chiropractic offices to hospitals, veterinary clinics, universities, and industrial operations.

Two Separate Requirements — Don't Confuse Them

Before diving into the steps, it's worth flagging a distinction that trips up a lot of new practices:

Who Needs to Register

Under Chapter 64E-5 of the Florida Administrative Code, any facility that operates a radiation machine must register it with the DOH Bureau of Radiation Control before the machine is placed into use. That requirement applies across the board:

• Medical, dental, chiropractic, and podiatric practices
• Veterinary clinics and hospitals
• Hospitals, urgent care centers, and imaging centers
• Universities and academic institutions
• Industrial and analytical x-ray system operators
• Vendors, assemblers, and service companies that install, repair, or sell x-ray machines

The Registration Process, Step by Step

1. Gather your information before you start (see the checklist below — it'll save you a second trip through the paperwork).
2. If you're building or renovating a room for the machine, get shielding designed and verified by a qualified medical physicist before construction wraps up (see the shielding section below) — retrofitting a room after the fact is far more expensive than building it right the first time.
3. Complete DH Form 1107 (Radiation Machine Registration Form) for each facility location.
4. Confirm your installer or vendor is registered too — companies that assemble, install, or sell x-ray machines in Florida must hold their own vendor registration on DH Form 1113.
5. Get a Report of Assembly for non-certified systems on DH Form 1114, or the federal FDA Form 2579 for certified diagnostic systems (more on this below).
6. Submit your registration before the machine is placed into clinical use. This is a hard requirement, not a suggestion.
7. Receive your facility registration from the BRC X-Ray Section.
8. Keep the department notified. Any change of ownership or change in majority controlling interest must be reported.

What You'll Need on Hand

Shielding & Lead Lining: What Your Walls Actually Need

This is the piece that catches people building out a new room by surprise. Under Rule 64E-5.805, F.A.C., shielding for a new or renovated x-ray room has to be designed or certified by a qualified medical physicist, generally following the methodology in NCRP Report No. 147 for diagnostic x-ray and CT installations (NCRP Report No. 151 for megavoltage/therapy installations). That's a calculation based on your specific room — workload, distance, occupancy of adjacent spaces — not a one-size-fits-all lead thickness you can look up in a table.

One thing worth clarifying: Florida does not require your shielding design to be submitted to the state for review or approval. That responsibility sits with your qualified medical physicist, not DOH. What Florida does require, separately, is that the facility and its x-ray systems be registered with the Department of Health's Bureau of Radiation Control — the process covered throughout this guide.

Once shielding is installed (or a physicist confirms none is needed), a post-construction verification survey confirms it performs as designed. Keep that report on file with your assembly report and physics evaluations — it's one of the first things an inspector asks for if a room's exposure levels are ever in question.

New Equipment: Assembly Reports & Physics Evaluations

Registration gets most of the attention, but two additional requirements kick in the moment a new x-ray unit is assembled and installed — and both are easy to miss if your installer doesn't flag them:

Renewal, Fees & Verification

Florida runs registration on an annual cycle rather than the multi-year cycles you'll see in some other states:

You can look up a facility's registration status and pay fees anytime through the DOH online system at xray.floridahealth.gov, using your registration number and facility zip code.

Don't Forget the Operator

Registering the machine doesn't authorize anyone to use it. Florida licenses operators directly through the Department of Health, across two main tiers:

• General Radiographer, Nuclear Medicine Technologist, or Radiation Therapist — requires completion of a two-year accredited radiologic technology program and passing the ARRT examination (or licensure by endorsement from another jurisdiction's current certification).
• Basic X-Ray Machine Operator (BXMO) — a lower-barrier credential with no formal education program required, though applicants must study the exam guide (or an equivalent) and pass the state exam.

All applicants must be at least 18, of good moral character, pass a background check, and avoid the disqualifying offenses listed in section 435.03, Florida Statutes. Application fees run roughly $40–$45, with exam fees around $150–$200. Licenses renew biennially, requiring 12 hours of continuing education per cycle — including one mandatory HIV/AIDS hour and up to 3 hours of personal development, with the rest focused on technical topics like radiation protection and equipment operation.

Personnel Monitoring: Who Needs a Dosimeter Badge

Personnel monitoring in Florida is triggered whenever a worker is likely to receive more than 10% of an applicable dose limit — for whole-body exposure, that threshold works out to 0.5 rem TEDE per year. In practice:

• Staff who meet the threshold must be issued a whole-body dosimeter badge
• Interventional and hot-lab staff are often issued a ring (extremity) badge in addition to their whole-body badge
• Dose records must be maintained and reviewed on a regular schedule

Don't assume your staff falls below the threshold without checking — your radiation safety program documentation should spell out exactly who's monitored and why.

Inspections & Staying Compliant

DOH conducts more than 15,000 inspections a year statewide, on a schedule that varies by equipment type:

• Mammography and cancer therapy machines: inspected annually
• Dental and podiatry machines: inspected every five years
• Other categories: scheduled based on use frequency

If an inspection turns up a deficiency, you generally have 90 days to correct it. Machines found to pose an immediate threat to public health must be removed from service right away, no grace period. To stay in good standing:

• Pay your annual fee before the October 28 deadline every year
• Report any change of ownership or majority controlling interest promptly
• Keep operator licenses current alongside the machine registration
• Keep assembly reports, physics evaluation results, and shielding survey records on file for inspections

Quick-Reference Checklist

Helpful Links

• Ionizing Radiation Machines (X-Ray) – Florida DOH
• DH Form 1107 – Radiation Machine Registration Form
• Facility Registration & Payment Portal
• Radiologic Technologist & BXMO Licensing
• License Renewal & Continuing Education
• Chapter 64E-5, F.A.C. – Control of Radiation Hazards
• Rule 64E-5.805, F.A.C. – Shielding and Safety Design Requirements
• FDA Form 2579 – Report of Assembly of a Diagnostic X-Ray System

This post summarizes publicly available Florida Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Control information as of July 2026 for general planning purposes and is not legal advice. Requirements, fees, and portal details can change — always confirm current steps and fees directly with the Florida DOH before relying on this guide for a filing.