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 an STI in Austin does not have to be complicated, but it helps to know what a visit involves before you go. The city has a mix of public, nonprofit and university clinics, with fees ranging from free to a flat $30, and a few locations that take walk-ins without an appointment. Travis County recorded a chlamydia rate of 712.6 cases per 100,000 people and a gonorrhea rate of 351.4 per 100,000 in 2022, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Texas STD Surveillance Report. Testing is one of the only ways you and a partner can learn more about your sexual health and talk with a clinician about next steps.

This guide walks through what to bring, how to pick a testing option, and what typically happens step by step. For a full list of clinics, prices and services side by side, see our guide to STD testing in Austin: where to get tested and what it costs.

What You'll Need Before Your Visit

Most Austin clinics keep the intake process simple. Having these items ready can make your visit faster:

A photo ID, if you have one. Call the clinic first if you don't, since policies vary.
Your insurance card, if you're insured. Kind Clinic, for example, now bills insurance for lab work when a patient has coverage.
A way to pay, for clinics that charge a fee, such as the Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic, which lists testing and treatment at $30.
A general sense of your recent sexual history, including roughly when you were last sexually active and whether you have any symptoms, so a clinician can talk through which tests make sense for your situation.
Your last test date, if you remember it, to help frame the conversation as routine care.

You generally do not need a doctor's referral to walk into any of these clinics. In Texas, a minor of any age can legally consent to their own STI and HIV testing and treatment without a parent's permission, under Texas Family Code Sec. 32.003. The same law allows, but does not require, a physician to tell a parent about the visit, so a minor who wants that conversation kept private should ask the clinic directly how it handles notification.

Step 1: Decide Between a Walk-In Visit and a Scheduled Appointment

Not every clinic in Austin takes walk-ins for STI testing. Kind Clinic's Koenig Lane location offers walk-in testing for gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, HIV and hepatitis C, while its South Austin location does not offer walk-in STI testing and focuses on PrEP and PEP. The Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic at the RBJ Health Center asks patients to schedule a clinic appointment online or by calling 512-972-5430. ASHwell Sexual Health + Wellness does not accept walk-ins and asks patients to call (512) 900-3116 or email ahead. UT Austin students without symptoms can drop in to University Health Services' STI Testing Clinic without an appointment, though students with symptoms need a provider appointment instead.

Step 2: Confirm the Cost and Ask About Sliding-Scale or Free Options

Cost varies a fair amount by clinic. The Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic lists testing and treatment at $30. CommUnityCare's IDEALhealth program uses a sliding fee scale set after a meeting with a financial eligibility specialist. ASHwell states its services are always free, though it notes there can be costs tied to medication. Vivent Health offers free HIV testing at its Austin location. Kind Clinic asks insured patients to use their coverage for lab work, and offers its Kind Patient Assistance Program for people who are uninsured or can't afford the lab costs. Because fees and coverage details can change, call the clinic directly to confirm current pricing before your visit.

Step 3: Plan Your Trip Around the Clinic's Hours

Hours differ by location. The Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. Kind Clinic's Koenig Lane location is open Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and certain Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., though its walk-in testing hours can differ from its general hours, and the clinic is closed on observed holidays and the first Friday of every month. If you want to compare hours, costs and services across every option in one place, our directory of Austin testing clinics lists them together.

Step 4: Check In and Describe Why You're There

At check-in, a staff member will usually ask what brought you in, whether you have symptoms, and when you were last sexually active. Be as specific as you're comfortable being. This helps the clinician decide which tests to offer. The Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic, for example, says its standard panel covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, and that it can only test for genital herpes if you have active symptoms. A clinician, not the reader, is the one who determines which tests apply to a given visit.

Step 5: Have Your Sample Collected

Depending on which tests are appropriate for you, a clinician may collect a blood sample, a urine sample, or a swab. Some clinics also offer rapid HIV testing. The specific combination depends on your symptoms, exposure history and the clinic's available tests, so ask the clinician directly what's being collected and why.

Step 6: Ask About 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 pick up an infection. That window period is different for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and other infections, and a clinician can tell you which window period applies to the specific tests you're having done, and whether a follow-up test at a later date makes sense.

Step 7: Get Your Results and Ask About Next Steps

Clinics will let you know how and when results are available, whether that's a phone call, a patient portal or a return visit. If a clinician finds a bacterial infection such as chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis, these are curable with treatment that a clinician prescribes. HIV, herpes and HPV are not curable, but they are treatable or manageable with ongoing care. If you're found to have a bacterial STI, you can also ask the clinician about options for a partner, since Texas allows a physician or advanced practice registered nurse to prescribe treatment for a patient's partner without that partner being seen in person, under rules from the Texas Medical Board and Texas Board of Nursing.

Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't assume every clinic takes walk-ins. Call ahead, since some locations, like ASHwell and Austin Public Health's clinic, prefer or require scheduling.
Don't skip the cost conversation. Ask about sliding-scale pricing or assistance programs before your visit if cost is a concern; several Austin clinics have options built in.
Don't test too soon after a possible exposure. Testing before the relevant window period has passed can be less reliable; ask the clinician when to retest if needed.
Don't forget that herpes testing often requires symptoms. At Austin Public Health's clinic, a herpes test is only available if you currently have active symptoms, which is typical for many standard panels.
Don't rely on an out-of-date price you saw online. Clinic pages can lag behind current fees; Austin Public Health's own site notes that updates to its pages may be delayed, so confirm hours and costs by phone.

Expected Results

A test result may come back negative or positive, and either result can be discussed with the clinician who ordered it. A negative result may suggest no infection was detected at the time of testing, within the limits of that test's window period, though it does not rule out a very recent exposure. A positive result does not mean a diagnosis is final on its own; a clinician can explain what the specific result means and what, if anything, happens next. If you're not able to get tested in person right away, free mail-order self-testing is available through the state's Test for Texas program at testfortexas.org, and free at-home HIV self-tests are available through Vivent Health's online depot and the CDC-funded Together TakeMeHome program for those 17 and older.

STI Testing in Austin: Costs, Walk-Ins and What to Bring