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STD Clinics in Houston: Public Health, Planned Parenthood and Community Options Compared

Updated · Sources are cited in the text

STD Clinics in Houston: Public Health, Planned Parenthood and Community Options Compared

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.

Houston has more than one kind of STD clinic. Some are run by the city or county health department. Some are community health centers. Some are LGBTQ+ community organizations that offer rapid testing. Planned Parenthood also runs health centers in the area.

Each type is built for a different need. One may be best if cost is your main concern. Another may be best if you want a full panel in one visit. This page compares them fairly so you can pick what fits.

Everything local below comes from the Houston Health Department, Harris County Public Health and the clinics' own pages. Hours and services change, so call before you go.

The short version

  • Lowest cost for a full set of tests: Harris County Public Health Antoine Clinic lists its services as free.
  • Most services under one roof, including PrEP and PEP: the Houston Health Department health centers and Legacy Community Health.
  • Fast, free, walk-in screening: Avenue 360 and The Montrose Center offer rapid testing, though their STI testing is limited to syphilis, HIV and hepatitis C.
  • Planned Parenthood: one more option in Houston. We could not verify its Houston details for this page, so check with the organization directly.

The sections below explain how we got there.

What a good STD clinic offers

Not every STD clinic tests for the same infections. A clinic that only does rapid screening is not the same as one that can test, treat and prescribe prevention medicine.

Before you choose, it helps to know what you need. These are the questions that matter most:

  • Which tests do you want? HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia are the common ones. Hepatitis C is often offered alongside them.
  • Can the clinic treat you if a test is positive? Gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and trichomoniasis are curable with treatment from a clinician, according to the CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021). A clinic that treats on site can save you a second trip.
  • What does it cost? Some clinics are free. Some use a sliding scale based on income.
  • Can you walk in? Or do you need an appointment?
  • Do you want prevention? PrEP and PEP are prescribed by a clinician to lower the chance of HIV.

The CDC recommends that sexually active people ask a clinician which tests make sense for them. A clinician can tell you what your results mean. A web page cannot.

Why this matters in Harris County

Harris County reports higher STI rates than Texas as a whole. Texas DSHS (the state health department), in its Texas STD Surveillance Report 2022, lists Harris County at 656.9 chlamydia cases per 100,000 people. The Texas figure that year was 519.9 per 100,000.

For gonorrhea, the same report lists Harris County at 270.6 per 100,000, against 207.0 for Texas. These are 2022 numbers, the most recent in the DSHS report.

For HIV, the Houston Health Department's HIV in the Houston Area: 2026 Epidemiologic Supplement reports 1,343 new diagnoses in Houston/Harris County in 2023, a rate of 27.5 per 100,000.

These numbers are not a reason to worry. They are a reason testing is routine here, and a reason many clinics exist.

Houston STD clinic options at a glance

This table uses only details from each organization's own page. Where a detail was not stated, the table says so.

OptionOperatorCostWalk-inTesting and care listedPrEP / PEP
Northside, Sharpstown and Sunnyside (three Houston Health Department sites)Houston Health DepartmentSliding scaleWalk-ins as capacity permits; appointments encouraged since Sept. 1, 2026STD testing, HIV testing, treatment, syphilis testingPrEP and nPEP by appointment
Antoine ClinicHarris County Public HealthFreeWalk-ins welcomeHIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia testing, rapid HIV testing, STI treatmentPrEP
Legacy Community Health, MontroseLegacy (community health center)HIV, syphilis and hep C testing free; full panel price not statedWalk-in for HIV, syphilis and hep C; full panel by appointment availabilitySTD and HIV testing, hep C testing, treatmentPrEP, PEP and doxy-PEP
Avenue 360 (Heights and Midtown)Avenue 360 Health & WellnessFree rapid testingWalk-ins welcomedRapid HIV, hep C and syphilis testing; a full panel is not describedPrEP listed at Heights
The Montrose CenterThe Montrose CenterFreeWalk-in, Mon-Thu 9AM-2PMRapid HIV, hep C and syphilis testing; no full STI panelNo PrEP
Planned Parenthood Gulf CoastPlanned ParenthoodNot verified for this pageNot verifiedNot verifiedNot verified

The table does not include languages. None of these sources listed languages we could confirm, so ask when you call. If you need an interpreter, say so when you book or arrive.

Public health clinics

Houston Health Department health centers

The Houston Health Department runs STD services at its health centers. Three are listed for STD and HIV testing: Northside Health Center at 8504 Schuller Rd., Sharpstown Health Services at 6201 Bonhomme Rd. (3rd Floor, South Tower), and Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center at 4410 Reed Rd. The phone for all three is 832-393-4220.

Pros

  • STD testing, HIV testing and treatment are all listed in one place.
  • Cost is a sliding scale, so the price depends on your situation.
  • PrEP and nPEP are offered, with staff who help with co-pay and assistance programs. Appointments for those are at 832-395-9800.
  • Three locations across the city.

Cons

  • Since September 1, 2026, the Houston Health Department encourages appointments. Walk-ins are still seen as capacity permits, but a visit is not guaranteed.
  • The page does not state exact prices. Ask what you would pay when you call.
  • The page does not list hours. Confirm before you go.

Harris County Public Health Antoine Clinic

The county runs the Antoine Clinic at 5815 Antoine Dr, Houston, TX 77091. The phone is 832-927-7350. Harris County Public Health lists testing for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, plus PrEP and STI treatment. It also lists rapid HIV testing, and walk-ins are welcome.

Pros

  • Services are listed as free, and uninsured people are welcome.
  • All four common tests are named on the same page.
  • Treatment and PrEP are available at the same clinic.

Cons

  • Hours are limited. Harris County Public Health lists Monday to Thursday 8am to 7pm, Friday closed, and every other Saturday 8am to 2pm. Confirm before you visit.
  • It is a single location, so travel time matters depending on where you live.

Harris County Public Health also runs Testing123, a free mobile service for HIV and syphilis testing. Staff come to a place you choose in Harris or Montgomery County. It is not a mail kit. You can text (281) 962-8378 to arrange it.

Community health centers and community organizations

Legacy Community Health, Montrose

Legacy Community Health is a federally qualified health center. Its Montrose clinic is at 1415 California St., Houston, TX 77006, phone (832) 548-5100. Legacy lists HIV, STD and hepatitis C testing, treatment, PrEP, PEP and doxy-PEP.

Doxy-PEP is a CDC-recognized option from 2024 in which a clinician may prescribe an antibiotic after sex to lower the chance of certain bacterial infections for some people. A clinician decides whether it fits your situation and explains how it works.

Pros

  • The widest prevention menu of any option listed here, including doxy-PEP.
  • HIV, syphilis and hep C testing are free and available as walk-ins.
  • Legacy says services are open to all regardless of ability to pay.
  • It offers express STI testing for uninsured patients without symptoms.
  • Free at-home rapid HIV tests are mailed after a phone screening, subject to availability.

Cons

  • The full STI panel is offered as appointments are available, so it is not a pure walk-in.
  • Pricing for the full panel is not stated on the pages we reviewed.

Avenue 360 Health & Wellness

Avenue 360 lists free walk-in rapid HIV, hepatitis C and syphilis testing at its Heights campus (2150 West 18th Street, Suite 300) and its Midtown clinic (2920 Fannin St.). The phone for both is (713) 426-0027. The page lists weekday hours of 8:30AM to 4:30PM.

Pros

  • Free, walk-in and quick.
  • Two central locations.
  • Texas DSHS lists the Heights address as a PrEP provider.

Cons

  • The pages describe rapid syphilis testing, not a full panel for gonorrhea and chlamydia.
  • Midtown lists HIV specialty care. Treatment for other STIs is not stated there.
  • The Spring Cypress walk-in rapid testing site is suspended because of a temporary clinic closure.

The Montrose Center

The Montrose Center is an LGBTQ+ community center at 401 Branard Street, Houston, Texas 77006. The phone is 713-529-0037. It offers free walk-in rapid HIV, hep C and syphilis testing, Monday to Thursday, 9AM to 2PM.

Pros

  • Free and walk-in.
  • A community setting that many LGBTQ+ people find comfortable.

Cons

  • No full STI panel and no PrEP, according to its own page.
  • Short walk-in hours.

Planned Parenthood in Houston

Planned Parenthood is a national health care nonprofit, and it has health centers in the Houston area. People often search for it by name when they need STD testing, so it belongs in any fair comparison.

We could not verify Planned Parenthood's Houston services, prices, hours or walk-in policy for this page. Its website did not load for our fact-check. So we are not stating any of those details. We also do not recommend it over the other options, and we have no affiliation with it.

If you want to consider it, here is what to ask when you contact the center:

  • Which STI tests do you offer, and which are done on site?
  • What is the cost, and is there a sliding scale or financial help?
  • Do I need an appointment, or can I walk in?
  • Can you prescribe treatment, PrEP or PEP at the same visit?
  • Do you offer interpreters or staff who speak my language?

The same questions work at any clinic in this guide.

Best for: matching a clinic to your situation

If cost is your main concern

Start with Harris County Public Health's Antoine Clinic, Avenue 360 or The Montrose Center. All three list free services. Among them, the Antoine Clinic is the one that names gonorrhea and chlamydia testing along with HIV and syphilis.

If you want a full panel and treatment in one place

Look at the Houston Health Department health centers, the Antoine Clinic or Legacy Montrose. Each lists treatment along with testing.

If you want PrEP, PEP or doxy-PEP

Legacy Montrose lists all three. The Houston Health Department centers list PrEP and nPEP by appointment. The Antoine Clinic lists PrEP. PEP works best when started quickly after a possible exposure, so call right away. A clinician can explain the timing.

If you want to walk in with no planning

Avenue 360 and The Montrose Center are built for walk-ins. Legacy takes walk-ins for HIV, syphilis and hep C. The Antoine Clinic welcomes walk-ins, but check its limited hours.

If you want an LGBTQ+ community setting

The Montrose Center is rooted in that community. Legacy Montrose and Avenue 360 also serve it, and Legacy lists a prevention menu that includes doxy-PEP. Any clinic in this guide should treat every gender and orientation with respect. If one does not, tell the staff or choose another.

If you are under 18

Texas Family Code Sec. 32.003 allows a minor of any age to consent to diagnosis and treatment of reportable infectious diseases, which covers reportable STIs and HIV. Parent or guardian consent is not needed for that care.

The same section says a physician may tell a parent or guardian about the treatment. That is permitted, not required, so a provider cannot promise it will stay private. Also, Texas SB 1188, effective September 1, 2025, gives parents full access to a minor's electronic health record, according to the Houston Health Department. Ask the clinic how it handles privacy before you share details.

If you cannot get to a clinic

Texas DSHS lists Test for Texas, a free mail-order self-collection kit for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. It is open to anyone in Texas aged 13 or older, and no insurance is needed. You order at testfortexas.org. More details are on the Texas DSHS self-collection page.

Together TakeMeHome offers a free pack of two HIV self-tests for U.S. residents aged 17 and older, once every 90 days. The Houston Health Department links to it from its HIV/STI page.

How to decide

You do not need to pick perfectly. Most people do well by choosing on three points: what tests they want, what they can pay, and how soon they want to be seen.

  1. List what you need. A full panel, a quick HIV or syphilis screen, or a prevention visit.
  2. Call first. Confirm the day's hours, whether walk-ins are being seen and what the visit costs.
  3. Ask about timing. The CDC publishes how long after an exposure each test can detect an infection. A clinician can tell you when to test and whether to test again.
  4. Ask about results. Find out how and when you will hear back, and what happens if a test is positive.

Some infections must be reported to the state. Texas DSHS lists chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV as notifiable conditions in Texas. Clinics and labs report them to health authorities as the law requires. This is a public health practice, not a judgment.

Verdict

No single option is best for everyone. Each fits a different need.

Best overall for testing plus treatment at low or no cost: the Harris County Public Health Antoine Clinic. It is free, lists all four common tests and treats STIs. Its main limit is its hours.

Best for the broadest care and prevention: Legacy Community Health in Montrose. It is the only option here that lists doxy-PEP alongside PrEP and PEP. Its main limit is that the full panel depends on appointment availability, and the price is not stated.

Best for citywide reach and sliding-scale care: the Houston Health Department's three health centers. Appointments are now encouraged, so book ahead.

Best for quick, free screening: Avenue 360 and The Montrose Center. They are limited to rapid HIV, hep C and syphilis tests, so they suit a fast check but not a full panel.

Planned Parenthood: a reasonable one to ask about, but we cannot rank it because we could not verify its Houston details. Use the questions above.

Our reasoning is simple. We favor options that state their cost, list what they test for and say whether they treat. Where a clinic did not state something, we left it out instead of guessing.

Next steps

If you are ready to get tested, our Houston testing guide with costs and the local clinic list has more detail on each site.

You can also use the CDC's locator at gettested.cdc.gov to find testing sites by ZIP code. For the latest on city services, visit the Houston Health Department HIV and viral hepatitis page or the Harris County Public Health HIV and STI prevention page.

Getting tested is a routine part of health care. A clinician can answer questions about your own results, your risks and your options.

Sources