DRC Home > Radioactive Materials
Radioactive Materials
The authority to regulate radioactive materials within Utah is based on an agreement with the U.S. Nuclear regulatory Commission (NRC). The Agreement, which made Utah an “Agreement State,” was signed in 1984 and later amended in 1990, 2004, and 2007. The Division of Radiation Control (DRC) is the state agency that regulates programs for licensing and inspecting byproduct material, source material, special nuclear material in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass (chain reaction), and naturally occurring and accelerator produced radioactive materials (NARM). The meaning of each type of radioactive material can be found in Subsection R313-12-3 of the Utah Administrative Code.
The DRC currently regulates about 50 general licensees and approximately 195 specific licensees. A general licensee is a person or organization that acquires, uses, or possesses a generally licensed device and has received the device from the device manufacturer or by change of company ownership where the device remains in use at a particular location.
A generally licensed device contains radioactive material that is used to detect, measure, gauge, or control the thickness, density, level, or chemical composition of various items. Examples of such devices are density gauges, fill-level gauges, gas chromatographs, and static-elimination devices. The DRC issues a general license registration certificate to register and track generally licensed devices. The registration certificate is valid for a 5-year period and annual fees are charged to registrants each year until the termination of the registration certificate.
A specific license may be issued after the DRC makes a determination that the applicant’s facilities and equipment, personnel training and experience, and policies and procedures for radiation safety are sufficient to safely use radioactive materials. The specific-license facilities include medical (nuclear medicine), industrial (moisture-density gauges, well logging, industrial radiography, or flow meters), academic (research), and waste disposal licenses (land disposal or decay in storage). An application for a new or renewed specific license is submitted to the DRC with the appropriate fee. Specific licenses are valid for a 5-year period and annual fees are charged. Guidance information is available to help applicants obtain a radioactive materials license. The application guides are listed by the intended use of radioactive materials, as follows:
- Academic, Research and Development, Gas Chromatographs, and X-Ray Fluorescence Analyzers
- Commercial Radiopharmacy
- Distribution to General Licensees
- Fixed Gauges
- Guidance About Administrative Licensing Procedure
- Guidance About Change of Control and Bankruptcy
- Guidance About Licenses for Special Nuclear Material of Less than Critical Mass
- Guidance About Possession Licenses for Production of Radioactive Material Using an Accelerator
- Human Medical Use
- Industrial Radiography
- Licenses of Broad Scope
- Manufacturing and Distribution
- Panoramic Irradiators
- Portable Gauges
- Self-Shielded Irradiators
- Service Providers
- Well Logging, Tracer, and Field Flood Studies
Occasionally licensees from other jurisdictions want to enter Utah to use radioactive material under their state or NRC license. To apply for reciprocal recognition of your license, please follow the Reciprocal Recognition of Licenses guidance. If approved, you will be sent an authorization letter allowing you to work in Utah. The reciprocity approval is in effect for one calendar year and allows you to work for up to 180 days during the calendar year. We require that you give us three days notice each time you enter the state to perform work.
If you have any questions please call 801-536-4250 or send an e-mail to a member of the Radioactive Materials group.
The DRC regulatory Program is conducted in accordance with national accepted standards. Performance audits of the DRC regulatory program are conducted regularly by federal and state personnel. The audit results show that the DRC adequately protects health and safety and the administrative rules (regulations) are compatible with Federal regulations. More information about the audit results is available from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
