Tyrosine-derived polycarbonates are a new class of degradable polymers that have possible biomedical applications. In this study, the effect of the two most common sterilization techniques, ethylene oxide and gamma-irradiation (0.3, 1.1, 3.9, 6.4, 10.6 Mrad), was evaluated for a family of four structurally related tyrosine-derived polycarbonates and for poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA). The four polycarbonates were poly(DTE carbonate), poly(DTB carbonate), poly(DTH carbonate), and poly(DTO carbonate) and differed only in the length of the pendent chain. Ethylene oxide exposure had little effect on molecular weight, surface composition, mechanical properties, or degradation rate of all test polymers except for poly(DTO carbonate). Poly(DTO carbonate) was unique since following ethylene oxide exposure it degraded faster than did the nonsterilized control. gamma-Irradiated tyrosine-derived polycarbonates retained over 81% of their initial molecular weight when exposed to a clinically relevant dose of 3.9 Mrad and retained still 58% of the initial molecular weight when exposed to the highest test dose of 10.6 Mrad. No changes in surface composition and only slight changes in yield strength and the Young’s modulus were detected for any of the tyrosine-derived polycarbonates following gamma-irradiation. In vitro, irradiated films of poly(DTE carbonate), poly(DTB carbonate), and poly(DTH carbonate) degraded at approximately the same rate as did the nonsterilized films regardless of irradiation dose. Only poly(DTO carbonate), irradiated at high doses, degraded faster than did the control. Medical-grade PLLA was tested under identical conditions. Ethylene oxide exposure of PLLA did not affect the molecular weight, surface composition, mechanical properties, or in vitro degradation rate. However, upon irradiation at 10.6 Mrad, PLLA retained only 29% of its initial molecular weight; a dose of 3.9 Mrad resulted in retention of 49% of the initial molecular weight. In correspondence with earlier publications, irradiation of PLLA induced significant losses in the Young’s modulus, % strain at break, and changes in the postirradiation rate of degradation in some specimens. Compared to PLLA, tyrosine-derived polycarbonates are significantly more stable to gamma-irradiation and can be sterilized by conventional gamma-sterilization techniques.