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.

Getting tested for sexually transmitted infections is a routine part of health care. In Austin, you have several ways to do it, from a city clinic with a flat fee to nonprofit clinics that offer free testing to mail-order kits sent by the state. This guide covers each route, what it costs, what happens during a visit, and how Texas law applies.

Everything local here comes from the clinics' own pages, Austin Public Health, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the CDC. Hours and fees change, so call before you go.

Key takeaways

Austin Public Health's Sexual Health Clinic at the RBJ Health Center lists a $30 fee for testing and treatment, and takes appointments at 512-972-5430.
Free options exist. ASHwell lists its services as always free, and Vivent Health offers free and confidential HIV testing.
Kind Clinic's Koenig Lane location offers walk-in testing, and the UT Austin clinic offers drop-in testing for students.
Texas DSHS runs Test for Texas, a free mail-order self-testing program for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Bacterial STIs and trichomoniasis are curable with treatment from a clinician. HIV and herpes are not curable but are treatable and manageable.
Under Texas Family Code Sec. 32.003, a minor of any age may consent to diagnosis and treatment of reportable infections, including HIV.

Where to get tested in Austin
What testing costs
What to expect at a visit
When to test and what window periods mean
After the result: treatment, partners and prevention
Texas rules and Austin numbers
Choosing your next step

Where to get tested in Austin

There is no single right place. The best choice depends on cost, how soon you want to be seen, whether you have symptoms, and whether you want to be seen in person or at home. For a short list of clinics you can browse, see the local testing list. The details below explain how each type of site works.

The city health department clinic

Austin Public Health runs a Sexual Health Clinic at the RBJ Health Center, 15 Waller Street, Austin, TX 78702. The phone number is 512-972-5430. Austin Public Health lists hours of Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 1 to 5 p.m.

According to the clinic page, the standard tests are HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The page also says the clinic can only test for genital herpes if you have active symptoms. Austin Public Health says you can schedule online or call the number above. Whether the clinic takes walk-ins is not stated, so ask when you call.

Austin Public Health also runs a Red Ribbon program. Its HIV page describes free HIV counseling and testing for people without symptoms, plus a free 20-minute walk-in express testing service. You schedule it at the same number, 512-972-5430. The page does not state where it takes place, so confirm the location when you call.

The city's website carries a notice that content updates may be delayed. Confirm hours and fees by phone.

Community health centers

CommUnityCare Health Centers is a federally qualified health center. Its IDEALhealth Program at the Hancock Health Center, 1000 E. 41st St., Suite 700, Austin, TX 78751, lists STI and HIV testing and prevention, doxy-PEP, and sexual health vaccines including HPV, hepatitis A and B, and mpox. The phone number is 512-978-9015. Walk-in status is not stated, so call first.

CommUnityCare says its sliding fee scale is set through a meeting with a Financial Eligibility Specialist. Organization-wide, it also lists PrEP, PEP and HIV care. HIV appointments are at 512-978-9100. Those services are not stated to be specific to the IDEALhealth location.

LGBTQ+ affirming and sexual health nonprofits

Several Austin nonprofits focus on sexual health and welcome people of every gender and orientation.

Kind Clinic, Austin Koenig. 101 W Koenig Lane, Ste 100, Austin, TX 78751. Phone 833-937-5463. Kind Clinic states that it offers walk-in testing for gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, HIV and hepatitis C at this location. Hours listed are Monday, Tuesday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and certain Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Walk-in testing hours differ from those, and the clinic is closed on observed holidays and the first Friday of every month.
Kind Clinic, Austin South. 2800 S IH 35 Frontage Rd #103, Fountain Plaza III, Austin, TX 78704. Kind Clinic states that walk-in STI testing is not offered at this location. Call 833-937-5463 to ask what is available.
ASHwell Sexual Health + Wellness. 3100 Red River St, Suite 3, Austin, TX 78705. Phone (512) 900-3116. ASHwell provides counseling, testing, diagnosis and treatment of STIs. It says these services are always free, though there can be costs for medication. It does not currently accept walk-ins, so call or email [email protected]. Its services page says STI treatment is for ASHwell patients.
Vivent Health, Austin. 104 E. Highland Mall Blvd, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78752. Phone (512) 458-2437. Vivent Health states that it offers free and confidential HIV testing at all of its locations. The CDC's National Prevention Information Network listing also shows rapid HIV testing and free STI and hepatitis C tests at this site. Call for walk-in testing hours or to make an appointment.

Campus testing at UT Austin

University Health Services at the University of Texas at Austin runs an STI testing clinic in the Student Services Building, 100 West Dean Keeton Street, Room 1.400. The phone number is 512-471-4955. Test options include chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV and syphilis. The clinic describes drop-in testing with no appointment needed. That drop-in service is for people without symptoms, and people with symptoms need a provider appointment. The clinic serves UT Austin students.

UT's off-campus testing page still shows an older price for the city clinic. Austin Public Health's own pages say $30, so rely on that figure.

Primary care, urgent care and Planned Parenthood

Your regular doctor, a nurse practitioner, an urgent care center or a Planned Parenthood health center can also order STI tests. The city fact sheet this guide relies on does not list specific Austin locations, hours or prices for these, so none are given here. Call the site and ask three things: which infections they test for, what the visit costs with and without insurance, and whether they handle treatment on site.

A primary care visit can be a good fit if you already have a clinician who knows your history. Urgent care can be useful when you have symptoms and want to be seen quickly. In either case, it helps to say plainly which tests you want, because routine blood work does not automatically include STI tests.

At-home testing

Three free programs are on the city fact sheet.

Test for Texas. Texas DSHS offers free mail-order self-testing for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia at testfortexas.org.
Vivent Health Depot. Free at-home HIV test kits, condoms and lubricant for Austin residents, up to 25 items per order.
Together TakeMeHome. A CDC-funded program that mails free HIV self-tests to anyone 17 and older living in the U.S. The fingerstick option is for ages 18 and older. Each package holds two self-tests, and you can reorder every 90 days.

This guide does not recommend or link to commercial lab kits. The free public programs above are enough to start with.

What testing costs

Costs in Austin range from nothing to a modest flat fee, with a sliding scale and insurance-based billing in between. Here is what each site says about itself.

Site	What it says about cost	Source
Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic	"The fee for testing and treatment is only $30."	Austin Public Health
Austin Public Health Red Ribbon program	Free HIV counseling and testing for people without symptoms	Austin Public Health HIV page
CommUnityCare IDEALhealth	Sliding fee scale set through a meeting with a Financial Eligibility Specialist	CommUnityCare
Kind Clinic	Patients with insurance must use it for lab work. Uninsured patients, or those who cannot afford lab costs, can ask about the Kind Patient Assistance Program (KPAP).	Kind Clinic
ASHwell	Services always free, with potential costs for medication	ASHwell
Vivent Health Austin	Free and confidential HIV testing	Vivent Health
Test for Texas, Vivent Depot, Together TakeMeHome	Free home testing	Texas DSHS and program pages

UT Austin's clinic page does not state a price in the information used for this guide. Students should ask University Health Services when they call.

Questions that help you avoid surprise bills

Is there a fee for the visit itself, the lab work, and any treatment?
If I have insurance, will the clinic bill it? Will a statement or explanation of benefits go to the policyholder?
If I cannot pay, is there a sliding scale or assistance program?
Are the tests I want included, or billed separately?

The insurance question matters most for privacy. If you are on someone else's plan, ask the clinic what a free or flat-fee option looks like before you use insurance.

What to expect at a visit

STI visits are usually short and routine. Clinicians do this every day, and the questions they ask are about health, not judgment.

Before you go

Call to confirm hours, whether you need an appointment, and what to bring. Ask whether you should avoid urinating for a period before a urine test, since some sites give that instruction. If you are being seen for symptoms, ask whether you need a provider appointment instead of a drop-in screen. UT Austin's clinic, for example, says symptomatic patients need a provider appointment.

The conversation

A clinician or nurse will usually ask about your recent partners, the kinds of sex you have had, whether you use condoms or other barriers, and whether you have symptoms. They ask so they can choose the right tests and the right body sites to test. You can answer in your own words, and you can tell them if there is something you would rather not discuss.

How samples are collected

Depending on the infection and your history, testing can involve:

A urine sample.
A swab of the throat, vagina, cervix or rectum. Some sites let you collect the swab yourself.
A blood draw or fingerstick for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis.
A swab of a sore or blister, if you have one.

The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) note that testing the body sites where sex occurred matters, because an infection in the throat or rectum can be missed by a urine test alone.

What is tested by default and what to ask for

The standard panel varies by site. Austin Public Health lists HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia as its standard tests. UT Austin lists the same four. Kind Clinic's walk-in service adds hepatitis C. The CDC's tools at gettested.cdc.gov can help you find other options.

Some infections are not part of a standard panel, so ask directly about:

Herpes. Austin Public Health says it can only test for genital herpes when you have active symptoms. The CDC does not recommend routine herpes blood testing for people without symptoms, so the question to ask a clinician is whether a test fits your situation.
Trichomoniasis. It is not on the standard lists above. Ask whether the site offers it.
Hepatitis B and C. Ask whether they are included, especially if you have not been tested before.
Throat and rectal testing. Ask for it if it applies to your sexual history.
HPV. There is no routine HPV test for most people. Cervical screening is a separate service. CommUnityCare lists the HPV vaccine among its sexual health vaccines.

Getting results

Some HIV tests give results during the visit. Other results take days. Ask the clinic how and when they will contact you, what number they will call from, and whether you can check results through a portal. Make sure your contact details are correct before you leave, and say if it is not safe to leave a voicemail.

When to test and what window periods mean

A test can only find an infection once enough time has passed for the body to produce something the test can detect. That span is called the window period. A test taken too early can be negative even if an infection is present, which is why clinicians sometimes suggest testing again later.

Routine screening

The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) recommend yearly chlamydia and gonorrhea screening for sexually active women under 25, and for older women with risk factors such as a new partner or a partner with other partners. The guidelines recommend at least yearly screening for syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, with more frequent screening, every 3 to 6 months, for people at higher risk.

For HIV, the CDC recommends that everyone ages 13 to 64 get tested at least once as part of routine care, and that people with more risk get tested more often. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends HIV screening for adolescents and adults ages 15 to 65, and for younger adolescents and older adults who are at increased risk. USPSTF also recommends syphilis screening for people at increased risk and for all pregnant people.

After a possible exposure

Many people test because something happened: a new partner, a condom that broke, or a partner who shared a diagnosis. A clinician can tell you which tests make sense now and when to repeat them.

For HIV, the CDC explains that different tests detect HIV at different times after exposure. The CDC lists these approximate windows:

Nucleic acid tests: 10 to 33 days.
Antigen/antibody lab tests using blood from a vein: 18 to 45 days.
Antigen/antibody fingerstick tests: 18 to 90 days.
Antibody tests, including most self-tests: 23 to 90 days.

The CDC also says that if you may have been exposed within the last 72 hours, you should talk to a health care provider right away about post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which a clinician prescribes. PEP works best when started soon. CommUnityCare, Kind Clinic and ASHwell all list PEP among their services, and the Austin Public Health clinic page does not mention it, so ask when you call.

For other infections, window periods differ by infection and test type. Ask the clinician which tests are useful today and whether a repeat test is worth planning. The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) are the reference for these recommendations.

If you have symptoms

Symptoms such as unusual discharge, pain when urinating, sores, rashes or pelvic pain can have many causes, and only a clinician and testing can sort them out. Do not wait for a routine screening date. Book a provider visit, and note that drop-in screening at some sites, including UT Austin, is meant for people without symptoms.

After the result: treatment, partners and prevention

What treatment looks like

Treatment is something a clinician prescribes, based on your test results and history. Bacterial infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are curable with treatment from a clinician. Trichomoniasis is also curable. HIV, herpes and HPV are not curable. HIV and herpes are treatable and manageable with care from a clinician, and many HPV infections clear on their own over time.

The Austin Public Health clinic lists treatment among its services, with the $30 fee covering testing and treatment. Kind Clinic, ASHwell and Vivent Health also list treatment, though ASHwell's page says STI treatment is for its own patients, and Vivent's treatment listing refers to HIV care.

Telling partners

Partners may need testing and treatment too. Many people find this the hardest part. A few practical points:

You can say it as plainly as a health appointment: "I was tested and I need to let you know so you can get checked."
A clinic can often tell you how to reach partners without naming you, depending on the program.
Texas allows expedited partner therapy. Per CDC's page on the legal status of EPT in Texas, physicians may prescribe STD medications for partners of an established patient without first seeing the partner. APRNs may do so too, and pharmacists may fill those prescriptions. Ask your clinician if this applies to you, since it depends on the infection and the situation.

Retesting

After treatment for some infections, clinicians recommend retesting after a few months, since reinfection is common if a partner was not treated. Your clinician will tell you whether and when.

PrEP, doxy-PEP and vaccines

Several Austin sites provide prevention care in addition to testing.

PrEP is a prescription medicine that lowers the chance of getting HIV. ASHwell lists PrEP office visits and labs at $0 out of pocket. CommUnityCare says oral PrEP is on its Medical Access Program formulary, at low or no cost for those who qualify, and it offers injectable PrEP with or without insurance. Vivent Health Austin offers PrEP, with a first visit that includes HIV and STI testing and bloodwork. Kind Clinic's Patient Assistance Program helps patients get medications at little or no cost. Texas DSHS does not run its own PrEP medication program and points to manufacturer assistance and PrEP navigators.
Doxy-PEP. In 2024, the CDC issued guidance that clinicians can offer doxycycline after sex to reduce the chance of certain bacterial STIs in some groups, including gay and bisexual men and transgender women who have had a bacterial STI in the past year. Whether it fits you is a conversation with a clinician. CommUnityCare lists it. Kind Clinic says it is not a standalone service, and that you must be receiving ongoing care there.
Vaccines. CommUnityCare lists HPV, hepatitis A and B, and mpox vaccines under its sexual health services.

Texas rules and Austin numbers

Consent for teens and minors

Under Texas Family Code Sec. 32.003(a)(3), a minor of any age may consent to diagnosis and treatment of a reportable infectious, contagious or communicable disease, which covers reportable STIs and HIV. The statute says parent or guardian consent is not necessary. Texas DSHS's "HIV and Texas Law" publication also states that minors may consent to diagnosis and treatment of reportable diseases, including HIV.

One caution applies. The same statute lets a physician tell a parent or guardian about the treatment, with or without the minor's consent. It is permitted, not required. So a teen should ask the clinic about its practices before the visit, and should not assume that a clinic will never contact a parent.

Reporting

Texas DSHS lists chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, chancroid, HIV and AIDS as notifiable conditions. Providers and labs report cases to public health authorities within set timeframes, such as within one week for chlamydia and gonorrhea, and within one work day for primary and secondary syphilis and for acute HIV. Public health uses these reports to track trends and connect people to care.

Pregnancy

Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 81.090 requires a syphilis test, along with HIV and hepatitis B tests, at the first prenatal visit. It also requires syphilis and HIV tests in the third trimester, not earlier than the 28th week, and testing at delivery in the situations the statute describes. The pregnant person may object to the HIV tests, but not the syphilis tests. Early testing matters because syphilis in pregnancy can affect a baby, and treatment from a clinician can help.

What the numbers say about Austin

The most recent county-level figures from Texas DSHS cover 2022 for STIs and 2021 for HIV. The table compares Travis County with the whole state using the same source and year for each row.

Infection	Travis County rate per 100,000	Texas rate per 100,000
Chlamydia (2022)	712.6 (9,452 cases)	519.9
Gonorrhea (2022)	351.4 (4,661 cases)	207.0
Primary and secondary syphilis (2022)	31.5 (418 cases)	15.5
New HIV diagnoses (2021)	17.3 (226 cases)	14.8

Source: Texas DSHS STD Surveillance Report, 2022 Annual Report, and Texas HIV Surveillance Report, 2021 Annual Report.

Higher rates partly reflect how much testing is done, since an infection can only be counted if it is found. They are a reason to see testing as ordinary care in Austin, not a reason for alarm. Newer HIV data from the CDC show 235 new diagnoses in Travis County in 2024, a rate of 20.0 per 100,000 people aged 13 and older. That figure uses a different source and population, so it should not be compared with the DSHS rows above.

Choosing your next step

If you are not sure where to start, these pairings may help.

You want a low, predictable price: call Austin Public Health at 512-972-5430 about the $30 testing and treatment fee.
You want a free option: contact ASHwell at (512) 900-3116 for its free services, or Vivent Health at (512) 458-2437 for free HIV testing.
You want to walk in: Kind Clinic's Koenig Lane location offers walk-in testing, and UT Austin students can use the drop-in clinic. Call first to confirm the hours.
You prefer a sliding scale: ask CommUnityCare's IDEALhealth Program at 512-978-9015 about its sliding fee scale.
You would rather start at home: order from Test for Texas, or request free HIV self-tests through Together TakeMeHome.
You are not sure what is available: the CDC's locator at gettested.cdc.gov lets you search for testing sites by ZIP code.

A few habits make any visit easier. Write down your questions beforehand. Bring a list of any medicines you take. Ask what the follow-up plan is before you leave. And if a result comes back positive, remember that a clinician can explain what comes next, and that for many infections the answer is a short course of care.

STD Testing in Austin: Where to Get Tested, What It Costs and What to Expect