NRC Proposes Removing ALARA from Radiation Protection Rules

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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposes to eliminate its “As Low As Reasonably Achievable” (ALARA) standard from its radiation protection regulations.
The proposal does not change existing occupational or public dose limits and retains the linear no-threshold model, though narrows its applicability.
The rule would add additional compliance flexibility, including expanded dosimetry options, a streamlined process for planned worker exposures, and a revised process for exceedances of public dose limits under certain circumstances.
While the proposed rule states that existing licensees would not be required to change their programs, if finalized the proposal may impact a broad range of NRC licensees and applicants, as well as NRC Agreement State regulators and their licensees.

Eliminating ALARA and Other Flexibilities in Dose Management

The NRC has issued a proposed rule that would change the agency’s radiation protection framework. The proposal would remove ALARA from NRC regulations, instead relying on NRC dose limits to ensure public health and safety. The agency proposes to use other requirements and guidance describing scaled approaches to dose management to help enhance compliance.

According to the NRC, ALARA has increasingly produced uncertainty regarding what constitutes sufficient dose reduction below regulatory limits. The agency states that the concept led to inconsistent implementation, subjective enforcement decisions, and expenditures that did not produce meaningful safety benefits. By relying on applicable dose limits, the proposal aims to remove that subjectivity and uncertainty for regulators and regulated entities.

The proposed rule describes a “graded approach to dose management,” consisting of existing requirements like dosimetry or radiation protection training if anticipated dose levels would exceed certain percentages of applicable dose limits. Existing regulatory limits would remain unchanged. The proposal would also establish a new planned occupational dose limit extension process, permit broader use of modern dosimetry methodologies, streamline reporting obligations, and revise several medical-use requirements that historically resulted in reportable events.

Takeaways

The proposal is significant for NRC and NRC Agreement State licensees, including reactor designers and operators, fuel-cycle facilities, medical users, industrial radiographers, and materials licensees. Agreement State regulators may also need to revise their radiation protection regulations and programs to maintain compatibility with NRC requirements.

Licensees may wish to evaluate whether the removal of ALARA from their radiation protection programs and the other proposed flexibilities might create operational or economic benefits, as well as whether specific considerations merit participating in the rulemaking process. The NRC has requested comment on multiple policy issues that may shape the final rule. The rule was published on the Federal Register on July 15, 2026 (91 FR 43,456). Comments are due on Aug. 31, 2026.

The proposal marks a notable shift in NRC’s radiation protection framework by removing ALARA as a regulatory requirement and relying more directly on established dose limits and related compliance obligations. For licensees, the practical significance may depend on how ALARA concepts are embedded in procedures, license conditions, technical specifications, procurement requirements, contracts, state-law and other obligations, and internal radiation protection programs. Licensees should consider whether their circumstances raise implementation questions or warrant comment in the rulemaking.

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