Radiation Machines

New Mexico licenses and regulates over 1,500 radiation machine facilities statewide. These facilities are used for such applications as healing arts, industry, and research.  We inspect our registrants on a prioritized schedule to ensure radiation exposures to employees and the public are within applicable limits and levels that are as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).

“Radiation machine” is defined by New Mexico Radiation Protection Regulations (20.3 NMAC) as any device capable of producing radiation, except those which produce radiation only from radioactive material.  Examples include medical x-ray machines, particle accelerators, and x-ray radiography machines used for non-destructive testing of materials (e.g. industrial, analytical, baggage scanners, etc.).

We regulate these machines and their usage in accordance with the requirements of the New Mexico Radiation Protection Regulations (NMRPR, 20.3 NMAC).  Registrants are required to read, understand, and maintain copies of pertinent parts of the regulations.  Mandatory parts include 20.3.1, 20.3.2, 20.3.4 (except appendices), 20.3.6, and 20.3.10.  Other parts apply as applicable depending on use.  To view or download pertinent parts of the regulations, please visit our regulations Webpage.

Due to the Radiation Control Bureau’s current backlog of x-ray machine applications and excessive application processing time, the bureau will temporarily extend the expiration time frame for registrants that the bureau has received renewal applications from. This means that if a registrant has submitted an application to renew a registration that will soon expire, and the bureau has received this application, the registration will remain valid until the application has been processed. Registrants may continue their operations as normal during this time. Submitting multiple duplicates of an application will significantly prolong processing time. Please do not send duplicates of an application.

Applications for new registrations, amendments to existing registrations (e.g. additions/removals of machines, changes of Radiation Safety Officer, changes of address) or renewals of existing registrations must be made by completing the form below.

X-Ray and Radiation Machine Registration Form(pdf)

If you have problems downloading the above form, please try the one below.

Simplified X-Ray and Radiation Machine Registration Form(pdf)

 When the bureau receives your application, an email notification will be sent to the address (Radiation Safety Officer) listed on the application confirming receipt. Please allow 30-60 days after the bureau receives the application for the bureau to process and respond to the application.

A renewal of a registration cannot be used to update information related to a registration. Only Amendments can be used to update registration information. Renewals do not update the information on a registration.

Presently there are no fees associated with x-ray machine registrations.

Applications for new registrations, changes of address, or the addition of new x-ray machines used for medical diagnostic of therapeutic purposes required that the Radiation Control Bureau evaluates and approved of a shielding design (NMAC 20.3.6.602.B – Plan Review). The details of the shielding plan can be found in NMAC 20.3.6.610 – Appendix A. Please review the Bureau’s contact list for shielding evaluation submissions or x-ray machine registration questions.

Medical physicists are well equip to collect information and provide a shielding design for the bureau to evaluate. Hiring a medical physicist to create a shielding design is a common practice to meed the requirements of NMAC 20.3. A list of Medical physicists that are currently registered with the bureau to conduct such work can be provided by emailing a request to RCB.XRayMachines@Env.NM.gov.

To submit a shielding design for evaluation, please review the “contact information for Radiation Control Bureau staff” near the top of this section for the correct person to submit this documentation.

To change the ownership of an X-ray Machine Registration, please use the form found below. This form is also used to request that the registration name is changed. This form should not be used to transfer radiation producing machines from one active registration to another.

X-ray Machine Registration Ownership Transfer or Registration Name Change Form

To terminate a registration, the applicant will need to show that all x-ray machines have been correctly removed from the registration (see below on how to remove machines) and submit a letter on company letterhead to the x-ray machines email address, found near the top of this page, requesting that the registration be terminated.

To remove an x-ray machine from a registration, the applicant can provide the information listed in NMAC 20.3.2.210 on company letterhead to the x-ray machines email address. If the information for the machine cannot be located, the applicant may write a letter on company letterhead describing how the machine has been properly deactivated (or otherwise rendered inoperable) and properly disposed of. This letter should then be sent to the x-ray machines email address found near the top of this page.

Exemptions to some NMAC 20.3 regulations may be authorized, provided that an applicant provides adequate justification. Two common exemption requests are for employee dosimetry (NMAC 20.3.4.417) and for the use of handheld x-ray tubes/machines (NMAC 20.3.6.606.F.2.).

If an exemption from employee dosimetry requirements is desired, the requestor must provide 1 year of monitoring records proving that NMAC 20.3.4.417 is being complied with. A letter on company letterhead requesting exemption from employee monitoring and the monitoring records showing compliance with NMAC 20.3.4.417 should be sent to the Radiation Control Bureau for review and evaluation. An exemption letter will be granted upon acceptance.

If an exemption from the restriction of using handheld intraoral dental radiographic machines (NMAC 20.3.6.606.F.2) is desired, the requestor must provide the request and justification (e.g. patients are unable to access a standard dental intraoral setup) for use to the bureau on company letterhead for the bureau’s review and evaluation. An exemption letter will be granted upon acceptance.

Applicants seeking to register a new medical therapy device, amend the information recorded for an active therapy registration, or renew an existing therapy registration, should use the below application and guidance material.

Particle Accelerator Registration Guide: Instructions for Completing RCB Form A (PDF)

RCB Form A: Particle Accelerator Facility Registration, Amendment, or Renewal (PDF

Quality Management Program (PDF)

Basics of Radiation Protection: How to achieve ALARA
 https://www.cdc.gov/radiation-health/safety/alara.html

Radiation Protection Guidance for Diagnostic and Interventional X-Ray Procedures
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-05/documents/fgr14-2014.pdf

Radiation Safety in Dental Practice
https://www.cda.org/resource-library/resources/environment-and-radiation/radiation-safety-in-dental-practice-a-study-guide/

Radiation Safety in Veterinary Practice
https://www.vmb.ca.gov/forms_pubs/radguide.pdf

https://www.clemson.edu/finops/oes/researchsafety/radsafety/training.html

ACR-AAPM Radiation Safety Officer Resources
https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Clinical-Tools-and-Reference/radiology-safety/radiation-safety

Radiation Protection in Dentistry and Oral Maxillofacial Imaging
https://ncrponline.org/shop/reports/report-no-177/

• The NMED RCB will evaluate Radiation Safety Programs based on 20.3 NMAC regulations, and 1978 NMSA, 74-3 short title Radiation Protection Act.