Kentucky Radiologic Technologist License Renewal — Requirements & CE

Kentucky Radiographer licenses renew annually. See the At-a-Glance table above for the current fee, expiration rule, and CE requirements. Renewal opens through the KBMIRT Licensee Portal 90 days before your license expires, and the online application is no longer available once that window closes — so it’s worth marking your birth-month expiration date well ahead of time.

What You Need to Know About Kentucky RT License Renewal

Kentucky’s renewal cadence has a wrinkle worth understanding: the license itself renews every year, but continuing education is tracked on a two-year (biennium) cycle. In practice, this means you attest to your CE compliance annually, but you’re only required to produce full documentation if KBMIRT selects you for a continuing education audit. Keeping your national ARRT or NMTCB certification active also matters beyond the exam requirement. Per 201 KAR 46:040, a licensee shall not allow a credential to lapse while the license is active, and if a licensee’s credential is suspended, revoked, or otherwise discontinued by ARRT or NMTCB, the licensee must notify the board immediately.

CE Requirements for Kentucky Radiographer License Renewal

Standard licensees — radiographers, nuclear medicine technologists, radiation therapists, advanced imaging professionals, and medical imaging technologists — must complete 24 continuing education units per biennium, with one CEU earned per 50 contact minutes in an approved program. Limited X-ray Machine Operators follow a lower threshold: 12 CEUs per biennium, with a minimum of 6 hours specifically related to radiation safety or medical imaging.

How CE is documented:

• Standard licensees: CE must be directly relevant to your professional growth and development as a medical imaging or radiation therapy professional. Acceptable activities include academic courses, programs approved by a board-recognized professional organization, and programs approved through the board’s Recognized Continuing Education Evaluation Mechanism (RCEEM) process.
• Documentation timing: You attest to CE compliance at each annual renewal. Licensees must maintain documentation — certificates, transcripts, or program records — and provide it upon board request or audit.
• Limited X-ray Machine Operators: At least 6 of the required 12 hours per biennium must be specifically in radiation safety or medical imaging.

Note: Whether any specific CE category (such as independent study) is capped or excluded was not clearly confirmed in the sources reviewed for this page — confirm directly with KBMIRT if a significant portion of your CE plan relies on a single category.

How to Renew Your Kentucky Radiographer License

Renewal is processed through the KBMIRT Licensee Portal, which opens 90 days before your expiration date.

1. Log in to the KBMIRT Licensee Portal using “Renew License” once your 90-day window has opened
2. Attest to your continuing education compliance for the current biennium
3. Pay the $50 annual renewal fee shown in the summary table above
4. Submit — the online portal is the standard renewal method; the window closes once your license expires

If your license has lapsed less than 12 months, use the Reinstatement option within the Licensee Portal, which requires CE documentation and payment of both the reinstatement fee and the standard renewal fee. If your license has lapsed more than 12 months, you’ll need to go through the Application Portal’s reinstatement track instead, which mirrors the initial-application process — including verification of active ARRT or NMTCB status and a new background check completed within the past 6 months, per 201 KAR 46:040 Section 7. See our Kentucky Initial Licensing Guide for the full application requirements.

Practical Notes for Kentucky License Renewal

• Your expiration date is your birth month — plan around it, not your hire date. Kentucky ties expiration to the last day of the licensee’s birth month, every year. Check your license record directly rather than assuming based on when you were first licensed.
• The 90-day renewal window is a hard boundary. Once it closes, the online renewal application is no longer available — at that point you’re likely looking at the reinstatement process instead. Don’t wait until the last week.
• CE reporting is biennial even though renewal is annual. You don’t need to produce full CE documentation every single year — only if audited — but you’re still expected to be on track toward your 24-hour biennium total.
• Keep your ARRT or NMTCB certification active. Per regulation, you may not allow it to lapse while your state license is active, and you must notify the board immediately if it’s suspended, revoked, or otherwise discontinued by ARRT or NMTCB.
• A lapse over 12 months is a real reset. Kentucky doesn’t offer a simplified path once you’ve been lapsed more than a year — you’re effectively reapplying as a new applicant, background check included.

Relevant Statutes

• 201 KAR 46:040 — Renewal, expiration, and reinstatement of standard licenses
• 201 KAR 46:060 — Continuing education requirements
• 201 KAR 46:081 — Limited x-ray machine operator renewal

Related Pages

• Kentucky Radiologic Technologist Initial Licensing — Requirements and Application
• Radiologic Technologist Licensing by State — Complete Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

How often do I need to renew my Kentucky radiographer license?

Kentucky radiographer licenses renew annually. Your license expires on the last day of your birth month, every year. Source: 201 KAR 46:040

How many CE hours are required to renew a Kentucky radiographer license?

Standard licensees must complete 24 continuing education units per two-year biennium. Limited X-ray Machine Operators need 12 CEUs per biennium, with at least 6 hours in radiation safety or medical imaging. Source: 201 KAR 46:060

When does my Kentucky radiographer license expire?

Your Kentucky license expires annually on the last day of your birth month. Source: 201 KAR 46:040

What is the renewal fee for a Kentucky radiographer license?

The current renewal fee is $50 per year. Verify the current fee directly with KBMIRT before submitting payment, as fee schedules can change. Source: KBMIRT Current Fee Structure

What happens if my Kentucky license lapses?

If your license has lapsed less than 12 months, you can reinstate through the Licensee Portal by submitting CE documentation and paying the $100 reinstatement fee plus the standard renewal fee. If it has lapsed more than 12 months, you must go through the full initial-application process again, including a new background check and verification of active ARRT or NMTCB status. Source: 201 KAR 46:040

Who do I contact with questions about Kentucky RT license renewal?

KBMIRT can be reached at (502) 782-5687 or by email at kbmirt@ky.gov. Source: KBMIRT

Do I need to maintain my ARRT certification to keep my Kentucky license?

Yes. Kentucky regulation requires licensees not to allow their ARRT or NMTCB credential to lapse while their state license is active, and to notify the board immediately if that credential is suspended, revoked, or otherwise discontinued. Source: 201 KAR 46:040