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 is easier when the clinic is close to where you already spend your time. This guide walks you through std testing Boston by neighborhood, then through the steps of a visit, from choosing a clinic to reading your results.

Boston is a city of neighborhoods, and its testing sites are spread across several of them. Some are free. Some use a sliding scale. Some take walk-ins, and some need an appointment. The steps below help you match a site to your week.

What you need before you go

A phone. Several sites ask you to call or confirm hours first.
Your insurance card, if you have one. Some clinics bill insurance. Others offer free testing or help for people without coverage.
A photo ID, if you have one. Ask when you call whether it is required. Codman Square Health Center says it offers testing and treatment regardless of citizenship status.
A short note on your recent history. Include the dates of your last test, any new partners, and any symptoms. A clinician uses this to choose which tests make sense.
A list of questions. Examples: how long do results take, how will you be contacted, and what happens if a result needs follow-up?

Step 1: Pick your neighborhood

Start with the area that is easiest for you to reach by train, bus or on foot. The sections below describe the sites listed by the clinics themselves or by the CDC's GetTested directory. Hours change, so treat everything here as a starting point and confirm by phone.

Fenway and Kenmore (ZIP 02215)

Fenway Health Sexual Health Clinic is at the Ansin Building, 1340 Boylston Street, 4th floor. Fenway Health lists STD testing, HIV testing, hepatitis C testing, PrEP, PEP, doxy-PEP and treatment. Its page says walk-in hours are first-come, first-served:

Tuesday 1 to 7 p.m.
Wednesday 3 to 7 p.m.
Thursday 3 to 7 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Monday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. is by appointment only. Check-in closes 30 minutes before the end time. Fenway Health says results take 3 to 5 business days. Call 617-267-0159 with questions.

On cost, Fenway Health says it bills insurance if you have it. Quest Labs bills insurance directly, and you are responsible for any Quest charges. Uninsured patients can be seen free through grant funding. The page does not mention a sliding scale. The clinic page is aimed at gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, transgender and gender diverse people, and their partners.

Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Greater Boston Health Center is at 1055 Commonwealth Ave. The CDC's GetTested directory lists STD testing, HIV testing (including rapid), hepatitis C testing, PrEP and HPV vaccine. It says an appointment is required, the clinic accepts insurance, Medicaid and Medicare, and it offers a sliding scale. Call 617-295-7235. The directory does not list hours.

The Albany Street area (ZIP 02118)

Two different providers sit on the same street, so check the address before you travel.

Boston STD Clinic at Boston Medical Center is at 725 Albany St., 9th Floor, Suite 9C, in the BMC Shapiro Center. The clinic's page lists free routine testing for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and hepatitis C, with cost assistance for people without insurance. Appointments are made by phone at 617-414-2803, or through MyChart for established patients. The page does not say whether walk-ins are accepted. It lists these hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. It also lists Tuesday with the 9 to 4 days, so confirm by phone.

Boston Public Health Commission appears in the CDC GetTested directory at 774 Albany St. The directory lists HIV, hepatitis C, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis testing, and says there is no cost. It does not say whether walk-ins are accepted, and it does not list hours. Call 617-534-3976 first. This listing comes from the CDC directory, not from a Boston Public Health Commission page.

Roxbury (ZIP 02119)

TrueCare@MAC testing, run by the Multicultural AIDS Coalition, is at 9 Palmer Street. It lists STD, HIV and hepatitis C testing at no cost. Appointments are optional. Listed hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (testing 10:30 to 4), Wednesday 12 to 7 p.m. (testing 12:30 to 6), and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (testing 11:30 to 3). Sunday is not listed. Call 617-442-1622. Some other pages still show an older MAC address, so use 9 Palmer Street.

Dorchester (ZIP 02124 and 02122)

X-Clinic at Codman Square Health Center is at 637 Washington St. It offers STD testing, HIV testing including rapid HIV, PrEP, PEP and treatment. Express visits, for people with no symptoms and no known exposure, are walk-in during operating hours. Telehealth and appointments are also offered. Codman accepts all insurance and uses a sliding fee schedule. The clinic's own pages list two different schedules, so call 617-822-8350 before you go. For help with coverage, call 617-822-8162.

DotHouse Health is at 1353 Dorchester Avenue. The CDC's GetTested directory lists STD testing, HIV testing, hepatitis C testing, PrEP and HPV vaccine, with Medicaid, Medicare and sliding scale fees. The directory lists an appointment as required. Codman's resource list mentions walk-in testing through urgent care. Because those two sources differ, call 617-288-3230. Staff speak English, Portuguese and Spanish, according to the directory.

For a quick comparison of every site, see the local testing list. For a deeper look at costs across the city, read where to get tested in Boston and what it costs.

Step 2: Call and ask three questions

A two-minute call saves a wasted trip. Ask these:

Do you take walk-ins today, or do I need an appointment?
What will I pay, and what do you bill to insurance?
How will I get my results, and how long does it take?

If you cannot decide where to call, the Mayor's Health Line at 617-534-5050 offers free, confidential, multilingual health information and referral, according to the City of Boston.

Step 3: Tell the clinician what is going on

Describe your recent history and any symptoms in plain words. You do not need to defend or explain your choices. Clinicians who do this work every day are there to help you decide which tests fit your situation.

Testing usually involves a urine sample, a swab, a blood draw, or a combination. Which ones apply depends on what you tell the clinician and which body sites are involved.

The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) and USPSTF recommendations guide who should be screened and how often. Ask the clinician how often testing makes sense for you. If you want to know about PrEP, PEP or doxy-PEP, this is the time to ask. The CDC issued doxy-PEP guidance in 2024, and a clinician can tell you whether it applies to you.

Step 4: Understand timing

Tests can miss a very recent infection. The CDC says the time before an HIV test can detect HIV depends on the type of test. Roughly, the CDC lists:

Nucleic acid tests: about 10 to 33 days after exposure.
Antigen/antibody lab tests on a blood draw: about 18 to 45 days.
Rapid antigen/antibody tests on a finger stick: about 18 to 90 days.
Antibody tests: about 23 to 90 days.

For other infections, ask the clinician about timing based on your situation. If you had a recent exposure, ask whether you should test now, test again later, or both.

Step 5: Wait for results and plan the follow-up

Ask how you will be contacted. Fenway Health, for example, lists 3 to 5 business days for results. Other sites do not publish a timeline, so ask. Make sure the clinic has a phone number you can answer.

If a result is positive, a clinician explains the next steps. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis are curable with treatment from a clinician. HIV and herpes are not curable, but they are treatable and manageable. HPV is also not curable, though many infections clear on their own, according to the CDC.

In Massachusetts, a clinician may be able to provide treatment for a partner of someone diagnosed with chlamydia without a separate visit. This is called expedited partner therapy. Massachusetts law (M.G.L. c. 111, s. 121B) directs the Department of Public Health to issue rules for it, and the CDC lists chlamydia as covered. Ask your clinician how it works.

Expected results

A routine visit may take less time than you expect, though it varies by clinic. Many people find the first visit is the hardest part, and later visits feel more familiar.

A negative result may suggest that the tested infections were not detected at the time of the test. Timing matters, so a clinician may suggest repeat testing after a recent exposure. A positive result is a reason to talk with a clinician about treatment or management, which is available in the city.

Reporting is handled under state law. Massachusetts General Laws c. 111, s. 119 makes venereal disease reports and records non-public, with disclosure only on a judicial order or to officials whose duties entitle them to see them.

Tips

Match the clinic to the day. Several walk-in windows are in the evening. Fenway Health lists Tuesday through Thursday evening hours, and Codman lists evening hours on some days.
Arrive early for walk-ins. Fenway Health says check-in closes 30 minutes before the end of walk-in time.
Ask about cost before the visit. Where a clinic's page does not list a price, call and ask rather than guessing.
Teens can ask about confidential care. Massachusetts law (M.G.L. c. 112, s. 12F) lets a minor who reasonably believes they are at risk consent to care for STIs without a parent. The City of Boston tells people 13 or older they can get a confidential STI test without parental permission.
Bring a friend if it helps. Support makes the day easier for many people.

Common mistakes to avoid

Going without calling. Hours differ between pages, and some sites require appointments.
Mixing up Albany Street sites. Boston Medical Center is at 725 Albany St. The Boston Public Health Commission listing is at 774 Albany St.
Using an old address. Some pages show an outdated address for the Multicultural AIDS Coalition.
Testing only once after a recent exposure. Ask about timing, as described in Step 4.
Skipping the follow-up call. If a clinician says they will contact you, make sure your number is correct.

STD Testing in Boston: A Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Guide