STD Testing in New York City: Where to Get Tested, What It Costs and What to Expect

Getting tested for sexually transmitted infections is a routine part of health care. In New York City, you have more ways to do it than many people realize, and several of them are free or low cost.

This guide walks through every testing route in the five boroughs: city sexual health clinics, community and LGBTQ+ health centers, youth clinics, primary care, urgent care and at-home options. It explains what a visit involves, what is usually tested, what to ask for, and what the city's own sources say about cost and privacy.

Whether you call it STD testing, STI testing or a sexual health check, the steps are much the same. If you want to go straight to places, see the local testing list.

Contents

1. Where to get tested in New York City
2. What testing costs
3. What a visit involves
4. What to ask for and when to test
5. Results, treatment and telling partners
6. Privacy, minors and pregnancy
7. Prevention options and the city picture
8. Sources

Where to Get Tested in New York City

New York City has six main kinds of testing routes. Each fits different needs, schedules and comfort levels. None is the single right answer for everyone.

City Sexual Health Clinics

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Sexual Health Clinics are the city's own clinics. NYC Health lists STI testing, HIV testing, PrEP, PEP, doxy-PEP, HPV vaccine (for patients receiving other sexual health services) and treatment at the sites below.

NYC Health says most services are walk-in only. It also says clinics may close early once they reach capacity, so arriving earlier in the day is wise.

Clinic	Address	Hours (per NYC Health)
Chelsea Sexual Health Clinic and Chelsea Express Clinic	303 9th Avenue, First Floor, Manhattan, NY 10001	Mon to Fri 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Express: Mon, Wed to Fri 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Tue 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Central Harlem Sexual Health Clinic	2238 Fifth Avenue, First Floor, Manhattan, NY 10037	Mon to Fri 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Fort Greene Sexual Health Clinic and Fort Greene Express Clinic	295 Flatbush Avenue Extension, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (clinic on the 2nd floor; Express on the 1st floor)	Mon to Fri 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Express: Mon, Wed to Fri 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Tue 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Morrisania Sexual Health Clinic	1309 Fulton Avenue, Second Floor, Bronx, NY 10456	Mon to Fri 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Jamaica Sexual Health Clinic	90-37 Parsons Boulevard, First Floor, Queens, NY 11432	Mon to Fri 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Corona Sexual Health Clinic	34-33 Junction Boulevard, First Floor, Queens, NY 11372	Mon to Wed and Fri 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Thu 8:30 a.m. to 7:15 p.m.

A few details from NYC Health are worth knowing before you go:

• The main Chelsea clinic does not offer rapid results. Expect results in seven days.
• The Chelsea and Fort Greene Express Clinics have a Quickie Lab with rapid chlamydia and gonorrhea results.
• The Crown Heights (Brooklyn) and Riverside (Manhattan) Sexual Health Clinics are closed until further notice.
• NYC Health does not list an open Sexual Health Clinic on Staten Island. If you live there, the Manhattan and Brooklyn sites or the other routes below may be easier to reach. Check the health department page for updates.

There is no phone number for each individual clinic. Instead, the Sexual Health Clinic Hotline at 347-396-7959 answers Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Hours can change, so confirm on the NYC Health clinics page before you travel.

Community and LGBTQ+ Health Centers

Callen-Lorde Community Health Center is an LGBTQ+ community health center. Its Chelsea site is at 356 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011, phone 212-271-7200. Its listed services include STI testing, HIV testing, PrEP, PEP, doxy-PEP, HPV vaccine, hepatitis C testing and treatment.

According to Callen-Lorde, sexual health visits are by appointment Monday to Friday with limited walk-in. On Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., there is walk-in care on a first-come, first-served basis. It also has a Quick Care walk-in service. Callen-Lorde states that services are offered regardless of ability to pay.

Callen-Lorde also lists a Bronx site (555 Bergen Ave, 4th floor, 718-215-1800) and a Brooklyn site (40 Flatbush Ave Ext, 3rd floor, 718-215-1818). Its sexual health page names only the Chelsea site, so call the Bronx or Brooklyn location to ask which sexual health services it offers.

Youth Clinics

Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center serves young people ages 10 to 26 at 312-320 East 94th Street, New York, NY 10128. The phone number is 212-423-3000. The center states that its services are completely free. It lists STI screening, diagnosis and treatment, HIV testing including same-day rapid testing, PrEP, PEP, doxy-PEP and HPV vaccine. Walk-in hours are Monday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with scheduled appointments also available.

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood is a familiar name for sexual health care, but the city fact sheet for this guide does not confirm any currently open Planned Parenthood location in New York City. It notes that the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Manhattan Health Center on Bleecker Street has stopped seeing patients. Because of that, no Planned Parenthood site is listed here. If you want to use Planned Parenthood, check with the organization directly for current locations and hours.

Primary Care and Urgent Care

Your regular doctor, nurse practitioner or a community health center can order STI tests as part of a normal visit. This route works well if you already have a clinician who knows your history, and it keeps your sexual health care in one record.

Urgent care centers also test for STIs, especially when you have symptoms. This guide's city fact sheet does not list specific urgent care locations, prices or hours. Ask the center before you go what it tests for, what it charges and how it handles results.

With either option, you may need to say plainly what you want. A routine physical does not always include STI tests unless you ask.

At-Home Options

NYC Health describes free HIV self-test kits for NYC residents through Community Home Test Giveaway partner agencies listed on the NYC Health Map. You can also reach this program through 311, or by texting TESTNYC to 55676. See the NYC Health HIV testing page for details.

NYC Health's pages do not list a free at-home kit program for other STIs. This guide does not recommend any commercial kit or lab company. If you are considering a home option, ask a clinician which tests it covers and what to do with the result.

You can also use the CDC's GetTested locator to find testing sites by ZIP code anywhere in the city.

What Testing Costs

Cost is the most common reason people put off testing. In New York City, the city's own clinics are built to remove that barrier.

City Sexual Health Clinics

NYC Health describes the Sexual Health Clinics as low to no cost. For adults 19 and older, staff ask for insurance information or a sliding-scale fee. NYC Health says no proof of income is required, no payment is collected at the clinic, and no one is turned away for inability to pay.

If you have questions about a bill after your visit, ask the clinic or call the hotline listed above.

Community Health Centers

Callen-Lorde states that services are offered regardless of ability to pay. Its site describes a sliding fee for people who are uninsured or underinsured, with visit co-pays of $0 to $100. Ask about your exact cost when you book.

Youth Clinics

Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center states that its services are completely free for people ages 10 to 26.

Primary Care, Urgent Care and Other Sites

Costs here depend on your insurance, the practice and which tests are ordered. The city fact sheet does not give typical prices for these settings, so this guide will not guess. Before you go, ask:

• Is the visit covered by my plan, and what is my share?
• Are the lab tests billed separately?
• Will the bill or explanation of benefits go to the policyholder, and can I limit that?

The last question matters if you are on someone else's insurance. Confirm how the practice handles billing notices if privacy is a concern.

What a Visit Involves

Most people find the visit shorter and less awkward than they expected. Clinicians who do this work see it every day.

Before You Go

• Check hours on the clinic's page, since they vary by site and day.
• Arrive early at a walk-in clinic, because NYC Health notes sites may close early once capacity is reached.
• Bring an insurance card if you have one. You can still be seen without one at the city clinics.
• Write down the dates of any symptoms and your recent partners' general details. You do not need names.

The Conversation

A clinician or counselor will usually ask about your sexual health. Typical topics include the kinds of sex you have, the number and gender of partners, condom use, past STI results, drug use, and whether you have symptoms. These questions help decide which tests make sense. They are not a judgment.

The conversation is also your chance to ask questions. You can say which body parts were involved, such as genitals, throat or rectum, because that changes where samples are taken.

The Tests Themselves

Depending on what you and the clinician decide, testing may include:

• Urine sample or a swab you may collect yourself, often used for chlamydia and gonorrhea.
• Throat or rectal swabs when sex involved those sites. CDC's STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) recommend site-specific testing for some groups, including gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
• Blood draw or fingerstick for HIV, syphilis, and in some cases hepatitis.
• Swab of a sore or rash if there is a visible symptom, to test for infections such as herpes.
• A pelvic exam or cervical sample in some cases, depending on age, symptoms and screening history.

You may get results on the spot for some rapid tests, and later by phone, portal or in person for others. At the main Chelsea clinic, NYC Health says to expect results in seven days.

What to Ask For and When to Test

Many people assume a clinician will automatically test for everything. That is usually not the case. A standard blood panel does not usually include STI tests, and a Pap test is not an STI test. Asking directly is reasonable and common.

What CDC and USPSTF Recommend

The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) give screening advice by group. In short:

• CDC recommends HIV testing at least once for everyone ages 13 to 64. USPSTF recommends HIV screening for adolescents and adults ages 15 to 65.
• CDC recommends yearly chlamydia and gonorrhea screening for sexually active women under 25, and for older women with risk factors such as a new partner.
• CDC recommends that sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men be screened at least yearly for syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV, with more frequent testing for people at higher risk.
• CDC recommends hepatitis C testing at least once for adults.
• CDC recommends screening during pregnancy. See the section on pregnancy below.

These are general recommendations. A clinician can tell you what fits your age, body, partners and symptoms.

Words You Can Use

Try one of these at the start of a visit:

• "I would like a full STI panel. Can you tell me what that includes?"
• "I want to be tested for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea. Do you also test for hepatitis?"
• "I have had oral or anal sex. Should I have throat or rectal swabs?"
• "Do you test for herpes? When is that test useful?"

Herpes and HPV are often handled differently from other infections. Ask a clinician how testing works for each, when it is recommended, and what a result would mean.

Timing and Window Periods

A window period is the time between an exposure and when a test can reliably detect an infection. CDC publishes window periods for HIV tests:

• A nucleic acid test (NAT) can usually detect HIV 10 to 33 days after exposure, according to CDC.
• An antigen/antibody test done on a lab blood draw can usually detect HIV 18 to 45 days after exposure, according to CDC.
• An antigen/antibody rapid test done on a fingerstick can usually detect HIV 18 to 90 days after exposure, according to CDC.
• Antibody tests, which include HIV self-tests, can usually detect HIV 23 to 90 days after exposure, according to CDC.

Window periods for other infections vary by test. The clinic can explain the timing for your situation and whether a repeat test makes sense.

If you think you were exposed to HIV within the last few days, ask about PEP right away. CDC says PEP should be started within 72 hours of a possible exposure. NYC Health lists a 24/7 PEP Hotline at 844-373-7692.

Testing With Symptoms or Without

Many STIs cause no symptoms, so testing is not only for people who feel something is wrong. If you do have symptoms, such as unusual discharge, pain when urinating, sores, rash or pelvic pain, tell the clinician. Symptoms can have many causes, and only a clinician and a test can sort them out.

Results, Treatment and Telling Partners

Getting Your Results

Ask at the end of the visit how and when you will hear back. Find out whether the clinic will call, text, use a portal or ask you to return. Give a phone number you can answer safely.

A clinician can explain what each result means. A negative result means the test did not find that infection at that time. A positive result means a clinician will talk with you about next steps. Neither result tells the whole story without that conversation.

Treatment

Treatment is something a clinician prescribes after discussing your results. What that treatment looks like depends on the infection and your health history, so this guide does not list specific medicines.

• Bacterial STIs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are curable with treatment from a clinician. The same is true of trichomoniasis.
• HIV, herpes and HPV are not curable. They are treatable or manageable, and many people live full, healthy lives with them.

Reporting to the Health Department

NYC Health states that the NYC Health Code requires seven STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis (all stages, including congenital), to be reported to the Health Department within 24 hours. Under New York Public Health Law § 2130, physicians, other authorized practitioners and laboratories must also report HIV infection to the state health commissioner.

Reporting is done by the clinician or lab. It supports public health follow-up and services. If you have concerns about what is shared, ask your clinician before the test.

Telling Partners and Expedited Partner Therapy

Telling recent partners is part of protecting everyone's health, and it can feel hard. Your clinic can help you plan what to say.

New York Public Health Law § 2312 covers expedited partner therapy (EPT), where a partner may be treated without a separate visit. NYC Health says the infections for which CDC recommends EPT are chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis. Ask your clinician whether it applies to you.

Privacy, Minors and Pregnancy

Minors

Under New York Public Health Law § 2305, a licensed physician may diagnose, treat or prescribe for a person under 21 who is infected with or exposed to an STD without parental consent or knowledge. In short, New York law lets minors get STI diagnosis and treatment without a parent's consent.

NYC Health's clinic policy is clear in practice: NYC Sexual Health Clinics serve anyone 12 or older without parental consent. NYC Health also says adolescents can get PrEP without a parent's permission. Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center serves people ages 10 to 26.

Immigration Status

NYC Health states that the Sexual Health Clinics serve patients regardless of immigration status.

Pregnancy

If you are pregnant or planning to be, STI testing protects you and the baby. According to the New York State Department of Health, providers must test for syphilis at least three times during pregnancy: at the first prenatal visit, in the third trimester (at 28 weeks, and no later than 32 weeks), and at delivery. NYC Health Code § 11.33 separately requires physicians attending pregnant people in the city to draw blood for syphilis testing at 28 weeks, or as soon as reasonably possible, and no later than 32 weeks.

Ask your prenatal provider about other infections too, including HIV, hepatitis B and chlamydia, since CDC recommends screening for these during pregnancy.

Prevention Options and the City Picture

PrEP, PEP and Doxy-PEP

Testing is one part of sexual health care. Clinics that test can often talk with you about prevention too.

• PrEP is medicine a clinician prescribes to lower the chance of getting HIV. NYC Sexual Health Clinics offer PrEP initiation and counseling, and walk-ins are accepted though appointments are preferred.
• PEP is medicine a clinician prescribes after a possible HIV exposure. It needs to start quickly. Call the 24/7 PEP Hotline at 844-373-7692.
• Doxy-PEP is an option CDC addressed in its 2024 guidance. CDC recommends that clinicians discuss it with gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and transgender women, who have had a bacterial STI in the past year. A clinician decides whether it fits and what to prescribe.

The New York State PrEP Assistance Program (PrEP-AP) is for people who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover some PrEP services. It covers PrEP-related health care and lab costs, not the medication itself. The medication may be available through manufacturer assistance. Call 1-800-542-2437 and use a participating provider.

Vaccines

HPV vaccine is offered at NYC Health clinics only for patients receiving other sexual health services, not as a standalone service. Ask a primary care clinician about hepatitis vaccines as well.

Why Testing Is So Common Here

STIs are widespread, and testing is how most people find out. Here is what the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported for 2024:

• Chlamydia: 760.16 per 100,000 people, or 62,774 cases (NYC DOHMH STI Surveillance Annual Report, 2024).
• Gonorrhea: 398.27 per 100,000, or 32,889 cases.
• Primary and secondary syphilis: 17.76 per 100,000, or 1,467 cases.
• Congenital syphilis: 37 cases, or 43.18 per 100,000 live births.
• HIV: 1,791 new diagnoses (NYC DOHMH, HIV in NYC 2024).

These numbers describe the whole city. They do not predict anything about any one person. They do show that testing and treatment are everyday public health work here.

A Simple Plan

1. Pick a route: a city clinic, a community center, a youth clinic or your own clinician.
2. Check current hours, then go early if it is a walk-in clinic.
3. Tell the clinician what applies to you and ask what each test covers.
4. Ask how and when you will get results.
5. If you need treatment, follow the clinician's plan and talk with your partners.

If you are unsure where to start, the Sexual Health Clinic Hotline (347-396-7959, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) and the CDC's GetTested locator can point you to a place.

Sources

• NYC Health: Sexual Health Clinics
• NYC Health: Sexual Health
• NYC Health: HIV Testing
• NYC Health: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
• NYC Health: Sexually Transmitted Infections, Information for Providers
• NYC DOHMH: STI Surveillance Annual Report, 2024
• NYC DOHMH: HIV in NYC 2024
• NYC Health Code Article 11
• N.Y. Public Health Law § 2305
• N.Y. Public Health Law § 2312
• N.Y. Public Health Law § 2130
• NYS Department of Health: Dear Colleague letter on syphilis screening, May 2024
• NYS Department of Health: PrEP Assistance Program
• Callen-Lorde Community Health Center: Sexual Health
• Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center
• CDC: Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021, and later updates including doxy-PEP, 2024
• CDC: GetTested, National STD and HIV Testing Resource