How to Register an X-Ray Machine in Canada: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Opening, buying, moving, or changing an X-ray facility in Canada can involve several radiation-control steps. This guide puts the ordinary registration sequence, official links, timing, fees, and records in one place.
Heartland Physics can help organize X-ray registration information and technical records. Shielding design must be performed by a person who meets the jurisdiction's qualification rules; Heartland provides shielding services only where its current authorization and qualifications cover the project.
Quick answer
Canada does not have one national facility-registration portal for ordinary medical X-ray installations.
Health Canada regulates radiation-emitting devices at the federal product level, while provinces and territories establish and administer requirements for safe installation and use, facility approval or registration, operators, inspections, and radiation protection.
Start by identifying the province or territory where the equipment will be installed.
Start here: official forms and filing links
Use the official links below for the current application, instructions, or radiation-control program page. Forms, fees, and filing systems can change, so use the current agency version rather than an old saved copy.
What to gather before you start
• Facility legal name, physical location, mailing/billing information, and responsible owner or operator
• Each X-ray machine's manufacturer, model, serial number, tube information, room/location, and intended use
• Radiation Safety Officer or other responsible-person information when requested
• Shielding plan, room drawing, workload/occupancy assumptions, or plan-review documentation when applicable
• Installer or assembler reports, acceptance testing, inspection/calibration records, and applicable professional credentials
• Current application fee or payment information
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Handle the room and shielding requirements
Safety Code 35 directs facilities to have installation plans reviewed by the appropriate responsible government agency. Contact the applicable provincial or territorial radiation authority before construction to determine the required shielding-design, plan-review, and post-installation survey process.
Step 2: Complete the registration application
Identify the province or territory and obtain that jurisdiction's current X-ray facility registration, installation approval, or equipment-registration application. Federal facilities should follow the applicable Health Canada process.
Step 3: Submit the application and fee
Submit the plans, facility and equipment information, professional reports, and fees required by the responsible provincial, territorial, or federal authority. Do not use another province's process as a substitute.
Step 4: Complete the post-filing requirements
Complete the inspection, radiation survey, acceptance testing, and operating approvals required by the jurisdiction and keep the approval, shielding records, and equipment documentation at the facility.
Step 5: Renew and report changes
Registration, licensing, inspection, and renewal cycles are province/territory-specific. Confirm the cycle with the responsible radiation-protection authority for the installation location.
Cost
There is no single Canada-wide X-ray facility registration fee. Fees, if any, are set by the responsible province, territory, or federal program.
Regulatory contact
Use Health Canada's federal/provincial/territorial radiation-protection resources to identify the responsible authority for the installation location.
Keep these records together
• Submitted application and payment receipt
• Current registration certificate, permit, license, inspection approval, or written regulator determination
• Shielding design, calculations, room drawings, and plan-review correspondence when applicable
• Installer/assembler paperwork, acceptance tests, calibration records, and equipment-performance reports
• Inspection reports, operating procedures, staff training, dosimetry, maintenance, and other records required for the facility
Important reminder
This is a practical guide to the ordinary radiation-machine process, not a substitute for the regulator's current instructions. Mammography, radiation therapy, mobile services, industrial radiography, research equipment, and other specialized uses can trigger additional permits, professional qualifications, inspections, or federal requirements.
Official source and review date
Heartland Physics last checked this guide against the official sources listed above on August 20, 2026.
For Heartland Physics project inquiries, email Lancer@heartlandphysics.com.