This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you whether you have an infection. A clinician can, and the testing options on this site are a good place to start.

Austin has several ways to get tested for STDs at no cost or low cost, through city clinics, nonprofit health centers, and free mail-order test kits. In Travis County, the chlamydia rate was 712.6 cases per 100,000 people and the gonorrhea rate was 351.4 cases per 100,000 people in 2022, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Texas STD Surveillance Report. Testing is the main tool a clinician has to find out what's going on and, if needed, connect you to treatment.

This guide walks through the process of finding and completing free STD testing in Austin, from gathering what you need to understanding what your results can tell you.

What You'll Need

A government-issued ID, if you have one. It helps registration go faster, though Texas law lets minors of any age consent to their own STI and HIV testing, as explained in Step 4.
An insurance card, if you have insurance. Some clinics bill insurance when it's available and still offer free or reduced-cost testing for people who don't have coverage.
A general sense of your recent sexual contact, including whether it was oral, vaginal, or anal, so a clinician knows which sites to test.
A note of any symptoms you've noticed and when they started.
Time. A visit can run from about twenty minutes for a rapid test to an hour or more for a full panel.

Step 1: Decide What Kind of Testing Makes Sense

Start by thinking about why you want to be tested. Routine testing after a new partner, testing after a specific exposure, and testing because you have symptoms can call for different tests or timing. A clinician can help you sort this out based on your history and any symptoms you describe. The CDC's STI Treatment Guidelines note that chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis can be cured with treatment from a clinician, while HIV, herpes, and HPV are not curable but can be treated or managed with a clinician's care.

Step 2: Find a Free or Low-Cost Clinic Near You

A few Austin-area providers offer testing at no charge:

ASHwell Sexual Health + Wellness, 3100 Red River St, Suite 3, Austin, TX 78705, (512) 900-3116. ASHwell states its testing, diagnosis, and treatment services are always free, though costs tied to medication can apply. ASHwell does not take walk-ins, so call or email ahead to schedule.
Vivent Health - Austin, 104 E. Highland Mall Blvd, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78752, (512) 458-2437. Vivent Health states HIV testing is free and confidential at all of its locations. Call ahead for walk-in testing hours or to book an appointment.

If getting to a clinic is hard, Texas also offers free mail-order testing. DSHS runs Test for Texas, which ships free at-home test kits for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia; you order through testfortexas.org. Vivent Health's online depot ships free at-home HIV test kits, along with condoms and lubricant, to Texas residents. The CDC-funded Together TakeMeHome program mails free HIV self-tests to anyone age 17 or older living in the United States.

If a free clinic doesn't fit your schedule, low-cost options include the Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic at the RBJ Health Center, 15 Waller Street, where Austin Public Health lists a $30 fee that covers testing and treatment, and CommUnityCare's IDEALhealth Program, which uses a sliding fee scale based on a financial eligibility review. Kind Clinic's Koenig Lane location offers walk-in testing and can bill insurance, with its Kind Patient Assistance Program available to help people who are uninsured or can't cover lab costs. For a fuller breakdown of what each option tends to cost, see our guide to STD testing in Austin: where to get tested and what it costs. You can also browse the complete local testing list to compare locations near you.

Step 3: Call Ahead to Confirm Hours, Services, and Cost

Clinic hours, walk-in availability, and which tests are offered can change, and Austin Public Health notes that its own website content may lag behind current information. Before you go anywhere, call the clinic to confirm its hours, whether an appointment is required, and what the visit will cost you. For example, Austin Public Health's standard panel covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, and the clinic states it can only test for genital herpes if you have active symptoms. Kind Clinic's Koenig location offers walk-in testing, but its South Austin location does not, so confirming the right location matters.

Step 4: Know Your Rights to Confidential Care

Under Texas Family Code Sec. 32.003, a minor of any age may consent to diagnosis and treatment of a reportable infectious disease, which covers STIs and HIV, without a parent or guardian's consent. The same statute does permit a physician to tell a parent or guardian about that care, with or without the minor's consent, so it's worth asking the clinic how they handle this before your visit.

If you test positive for a bacterial STI, Texas administrative rules also allow a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or pharmacist to provide medication for your partner without that partner needing a separate exam, a practice known as expedited partner therapy. A clinician can tell you whether this applies to your situation.

Step 5: What Happens During Your Visit

Expect to fill out a short history form covering your symptoms and recent sexual contact, then meet briefly with a clinician or counselor. Testing itself usually involves a blood draw, a urine sample, or a swab, depending on which infections are being checked and where you've had contact. Some clinics, like Austin Public Health's Red Ribbon program, offer a free walk-in rapid test that can return an HIV result in about twenty minutes; other tests are sent to a lab and take longer.

Step 6: Understand Timing and Window Periods

The CDC's STI Treatment Guidelines explain that every test has a window period, the span of time between a possible exposure and when a test can reliably detect an infection, and that this window varies by the infection and the type of test used. If you test very soon after a specific exposure, a clinician can tell you whether it makes sense to repeat testing later to get a clearer picture.

Step 7: Get Your Results and Next Steps

Clinics will tell you how and when to expect your results, whether that's at a rapid test visit, by phone, through a patient portal, or at a follow-up appointment. If a result needs discussion, a clinician will go over what it may mean and what, if anything, comes next. When treatment is appropriate, it is something a clinician prescribes for you, and for certain bacterial infections, for your partner as well.

Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Testing immediately after a specific exposure, before enough time has passed for a test to detect infection reliably. Ask a clinician whether a repeat test later is a good idea.
Leaving out details about oral or anal contact. A clinician can only test sites they know to check.
Assuming a home test kit covers everything. Programs like Test for Texas test for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, not every infection a clinic might check for.
Skipping the call to confirm hours, walk-in status, and cost before showing up, especially since some locations, like Kind Clinic, close on observed holidays and the first Friday of each month.
Not following up on results or recommended next steps, including telling partners so they can also get tested.

What the Results May Tell You

A test result, reviewed with a clinician, may help you understand whether a particular infection was detectable at the time you were tested. A result is one piece of information a clinician uses, alongside your symptoms and history, to talk with you about next steps. No test can rule out every possible infection at every point in time, and a clinician is the right person to explain what your specific result does and doesn't tell you.

Free STD Testing in Austin: A Step-by-Step Guide