Reported syphilis in San Mateo County runs about 42% lower than the US average. Whether you need testing after a possible exposure or as part of routine care, you'll find local clinics and private labs for STI testing in Half Moon Bay, California. Community and public clinics are often low-cost or free, while private labs tend to offer faster results and more flexible scheduling — see your options below.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Half Moon Bay, CA. The nearest, San Mateo Medical Center, is about 0.3 miles away. Compare community and public clinics, private labs, and at-home kits below.
Listings tagged Community health center are federally funded health centers and rural clinics that treat everyone regardless of insurance or ability to pay: required to bill on a sliding fee scale and provide confidential care, and in many states minors may consent to their own STI testing. A Title X tag flags centers funded for confidential family-planning services; confirm current participation when you call.
Source: CMS FQHC & Rural Health Clinic enrollment files (data.cms.gov), refreshed quarterly. Title X status reflects the latest OPA grantee list.
San Mateo Medical Center in Half Moon Bay requires an appointment, so scheduling ahead is the shape a visit takes, and that visit covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and HIV testing, same-visit bacterial treatment, HPV and hepatitis vaccines, and sliding-scale fees.
San Mateo Medical Center tests for herpes alongside gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. Meaning herpes status is resolved in the same appointment rather than requiring a separate clinical encounter. For anyone whose exposure history warrants it, that fifth test is already on the table.
Without on-site PrEP and PEP prescribing, a patient leaves with a gap. Days or weeks between a clinic visit and actual medication in hand, often bridged by a separate specialist appointment. San Mateo Medical Center writes and manages both PrEP and PEP directly, keeping the prevention continuum intact.
San Mateo Medical Center carries Spanish as a direct service language, not a routed accommodation, and extends interpretation services to additional non-English languages. The clinical consequence is that conversations about testing, diagnosis, and treatment happen in the language a person uses to process medical decisions.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Nov 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Central County Mental Health CTR, serving San Mateo, carries federal qualification that requires sliding-scale fees tied to income. Meaning cost adjusts to what a patient actually earns. Walk-in STI screening covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia without an appointment needed.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Canyon Vista in Redwood City welcomes walk-ins for STI screening without an appointment. Federally qualified status ties fees to a sliding scale based on income, and a single visit can cover syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing in one stop.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
County of San Mateo Health System in San Mateo covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis testing alongside same-visit treatment for bacterial infections. All at no fee, on a sliding scale that reaches zero. Appointments are required.
The no-fee structure here applies across the entire menu (testing, PrEP initiation, mpox vaccination, and HIV prevention education) not to a subset of services. That universality means no appointment ends with an unexpected charge for a component that fell outside a waived category.
Spanish is a direct clinical language at County of San Mateo Health System, covering everything from PrEP counseling to HIV prevention education. Care conducted in a patient's primary language reduces the chance of dosing details or follow-up instructions getting lost in translation.
Many clinics deliver an HIV-positive result and hand off ongoing management elsewhere. Ryan White funding at County of San Mateo Health System closes that gap, the same facility that handles testing also carries patients through treatment, so HIV care remains continuous rather than fractured across providers.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
San Mateo County Health Department runs on scheduled appointments, so every visit is purpose-built: gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and rapid or conventional HIV testing, plus same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, all provided at no charge.
The clinic is staffed and budgeted to absorb the full cost of every service (testing, treatment, vaccines, and PrEP) so sliding scale means the floor is zero and nothing is withheld. No co-pay tier, no billing step at checkout.
Clinical staff provide care directly in Spanish, which means a patient's history, treatment plan, and follow-up instructions are discussed and understood in the same conversation. Reducing the gap between what is said and what is acted on.
Many STI testing sites screen for HIV but stop short of prescribing the medications that prevent it: San Mateo County Health Department carries both PrEP and PEP as active clinical services, with prescribing and monitoring handled by its own staff.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Free tool · not a clinic
Testing too soon can miss an infection. Enter the date of possible exposure to see the earliest a test can reliably detect each STI.
| Infection | Earliest reliable test | Conclusive after |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 7 days after exposure | 14 days after exposure |
| Gonorrhea | 7 days after exposure | 14 days after exposure |
| Trichomoniasis | 7 days after exposure | 28 days after exposure |
| HIV (NAT / RNA) | 10 days after exposure | 33 days after exposure |
| HIV (4th-gen Ag/Ab) | 18 days after exposure | 45 days after exposure |
| HIV (antibody) | 21 days after exposure | 84 days after exposure |
| Syphilis | 21 days after exposure | 42 days after exposure |
| Hepatitis B | 21 days after exposure | 42 days after exposure |
| Hepatitis C | 56 days after exposure | 77 days after exposure |
| Herpes (HSV) | 28 days after exposure | 112 days after exposure |
Guidance only, confirm timing with a clinician. A negative result before the conclusive date may need a repeat test.
Typical out-of-pocket ranges by option, actual cost depends on which tests you need.
Public / community clinic
Free HIV testing is common
Private lab (self-pay)
Never billed to insurance
At-home kit
Mailed to your door, private
Doctor / urgent care
Often $0 preventive with insurance
No centers match those filters. Clear the service-type filter or the opening-hours filters to see every center.
Every other option
Beyond the dedicated testing centers above: at-home kits by mail, hospital labs certified for STI testing, local clinicians who can order a panel during a regular visit, pharmacies for self-test kits and prescriptions, and online PrEP & treatment.
Test from home
The nearest testing center is less than a mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Half Moon Bay, you collect the sample privately, and mail it back to a CLIA-certified lab. Results come online in days, with a clinician available if anything is positive. Same labs as a clinic, no waiting room, and you can read how accurate at-home STD tests are before you order.
Want a free option first? The CDC-supported TakeMeHome (opens in a new tab) program mails free at-home HIV self-test kits, and, in many areas, free STI kits, to your door, with no insurance or payment needed. The paid kits below add broader panels and faster turnaround.
In-home collection
$79 & up
Best range: couples & full panels
$79 & up
Best value: single tests
$49 & up
Every kit uses CLIA-certified labs. At-home testing is for screening; a reactive result should be confirmed and treated by a clinician. Prices and panels shown are illustrative and change often, confirm current details on the provider's site.
Also in the area
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve San Mateo County, each lab's town is shown on its card below. Many test through a doctor's order or by appointment rather than walk-in, so call ahead to confirm STD/STI testing and availability before visiting.
1060 Marsh Road, 1st Floor, Menlo Park, CA 94025
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
1800 Sullivan Avenue, Suite 403, Daly City, CA 94015
CMS-certified lab
347 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA 94080
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Half Moon Bay. A CLIA certificate records only that a laboratory is federally certified — it does not confirm the site performs STD testing, nor its hours, price or access. Inclusion is not an endorsement; always call to verify.
Local clinicians
Beyond dedicated clinics, 4,684 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Half Moon Bay. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 1,994 offer telehealth.
Bernadette Mckell, DO Telehealth
Internal medicine · 80 Cabrillo Highway North, Half Moon Bay
Jill Pavliscak, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 575 Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay
Jeaniesar Caluag, MD
Internal medicine · 31 Julianna Avenue, Moss Beach
James Chen, MD
Internal medicine · 1435 Southdown Road, Hillsborough
Allison Devers, MD
Family medicine · 46 Hillsdale Mall, San Mateo
Yi Yi Liu, MD
Family medicine · 222 West 39th Avenue, San Mateo
These are registry-listed clinicians, not dedicated STD-testing clinics. CMS records do not independently verify current licensure, testing services, availability, price, or new-patient status. Confirm each detail before booking. Source: CMS Doctors & Clinicians.
Nearby pharmacies
No pharmacy near Half Moon Bay, CA publishes an STD-related service or holds a current CLIA testing certificate, so these are simply the closest. Contact a location directly to confirm counter hours, services, prices, and availability before visiting.
0.2 mi 
0.4 mi Half Moon Bay Pharmacy
0.6 miShowing the 3 closest pharmacies to Half Moon Bay, CA.
Directory records identify nearby pharmacies. Service, stock, price, and hours information is shown only when supported by current location-specific evidence.
Prevention & treatment
Testing is one step. For residents of Half Moon Bay, telehealth covers the rest: HIV-prevention medication (PrEP) and DoxyPEP to lower future risk, and discreet online treatment if a result comes back positive. All prescribed by licensed U.S. clinicians.
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or to your pharmacy
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
Pricing varies by insurance and changes often, confirm on the provider's site. These services are not a substitute for emergency care.
STD stats & rates
How reported STI rates in San Mateo County, the county that includes Half Moon Bay, compare with California and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~21% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#26 of 58 California counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 55% of the state
| Infection | San Mateo County | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 360.4 2,618 cases ▼ 27% | 491.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 125.3 910 cases ▼ 34% | 190.2 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 9.2 67 cases ▼ 44% | 16.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 11.6 84 cases ▼ 39% | 19.1 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 19.1 139 cases ▼ 59% | 46.7 | 29.5 |
Rates per 100,000 population, 2023. Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county, state & U.S., all-ages basis). Population figures: U.S. Census Bureau ACS. These figures are the latest available surveillance estimates. Bars are scaled to the highest rate shown.
Reading these numbers: reported case rates only count infections that were actually tested for and diagnosed, so they track local screening effort as much as true spread: a higher rate can reflect more testing, a lower one less. Either way, most STIs cause no symptoms, so treat the figures above as context rather than a verdict, and test on the CDC's schedule regardless of how your area looks.
Between 2020 and 2023 in San Mateo County, chlamydia has risen from 263.1 to 360.4 per 100,000 (37%), gonorrhea has risen from 108.3 to 125.3 per 100,000 (16%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 12.3 to 9.2 per 100,000 (25%).
The 2020 dip reflects reduced pandemic-era screening, not lower transmission. Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county, state & U.S., all-ages basis).
Community health context
Sources: CDC PLACES (ZIP), County Health Rankings, CDC/ATSDR SVI, HRSA HPSA, HRSA MUA/P, Neighborhood Atlas ADI. Lower insurance coverage, fewer routine checkups, and a thin primary-care ratio all raise the value of low-cost public clinics and at-home testing in San Mateo County.
Local HIV snapshot
San Mateo County HIV care continuum (2023)
San Mateo County recorded 12.2 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 14.9 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among San Mateo County residents living with HIV, 75.4% are in care · 55.4% are virally suppressed. Early, routine testing is what moves these numbers: it is the entry point to PrEP, treatment, and viral suppression.
Sources: AIDSVu (Emory/Gilead) · CDC AHEAD · CDC AtlasPlus · CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county care continuum). The CDC recommends everyone aged 13–64 test for HIV at least once: every lab and clinic listed above offers HIV testing, and free rapid HIV testing is available at a local health department.
Congenital syphilis, passed from parent to baby in pregnancy, is the fastest-rising STI in the country. U.S. cases climbed from 2,163 in 2020 to 3,882 in 2023. It is almost entirely preventable: the CDC recommends a syphilis test at the first prenatal visit, and every clinic and lab listed for San Mateo County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Along CA 92 where San Mateo Road bends toward the coast, the apartments filling Half Moon Bay's rental market carry monthly tabs nudging two thousand dollars, a number that turns every discretionary decision, a clinic visit included, into a line item the roughly one-in-four households here who don't own are quietly calculating. That cost reality matters because the younger adults living and working here (the late-teens-through-late-twenties crowd forming new relationships, moving between jobs, splitting households) are exactly the people for whom a straightforward, low-cost testing option changes whether screening actually happens. The geography adds its own layer. With most errands requiring a car and CA 92 as the main corridor connecting Half Moon Bay to the Peninsula, a testing appointment isn't a lunch-break errand. It's a planned trip.
That's worth naming plainly, because planning takes margin that a busy household doesn't always have. Nearly three in five local households clear six figures, but high income and high costs often cancel each other out; the working majority here is fully employed and time-pressed, not underemployed. With the local options listed on this page, the logistics are more manageable than the drive might suggest. Whether you're coming in from Francis Beach or heading north on Cabrillo after work, same-day or walk-in appointments mean the trip along the coast doesn't have to wait for a cleared calendar.
Getting there
At 8.22/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Half Moon Bay generally mean driving: plan on a car or rideshare to reach a clinic, and check each listing's hours and phone before you go.
Source: EPA National Walkability Index 2021.
ZIP 94019 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 94019 area around Half Moon Bay: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Half Moon Bay alone.
Half Moon Bay sits in San Mateo County, ZIP 94019. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Half Moon Bay? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
Reference
Everything to know before you test in San Mateo County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under California law. If you have symptoms right now, our confidential symptom checker maps them to the tests worth considering.
Based on current CDC screening recommendations.
| Group | Tests | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone aged 13–64 | HIV | At least once |
| Sexually active women under 25 | Chlamydia, gonorrhea | Every year |
| Women 25+ with new or multiple partners | Chlamydia, gonorrhea | Every year |
| Pregnant people | HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B & C, chlamydia | Early in pregnancy |
| Gay & bisexual men (MSM) | Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV | Every 3–6 months |
| Anyone who shares injection equipment | HIV, hepatitis B & C | At least yearly |
| All adults at least once | Hepatitis C | At least once |
Testing too early can return a false negative, confirm timing with a Half Moon Bay-area provider.
| Infection | Earliest reliable test | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 1–2 weeks | Urine or swab |
| Gonorrhea | 1–2 weeks | Urine or swab |
| Trichomoniasis | 1–4 weeks | Urine or swab |
| HIV (NAT / RNA) | 10–33 days | Blood |
| HIV (4th-gen Ag/Ab) | 18–45 days | Blood |
| HIV (antibody) | 3–12 weeks | Blood / oral |
| Syphilis | 3–6 weeks | Blood |
| Hepatitis B | 3–6 weeks | Blood |
| Hepatitis C | 8–11 weeks | Blood |
| Herpes (HSV) | 4–16 weeks (antibody); swab a sore | Blood / swab |
These are the federal Medicare reference prices for processing each lab test. Public clinics and the community health centers serving Half Moon Bay often test free or on a sliding scale; private labs and at-home kits bundle several tests into one fee. Use this as a per-test benchmark before you pay out of pocket, or see the full guide to STD test costs for insurance, free, and at-home options.
| Test | Reference price | CPT / HCPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia (NAAT) | $47.80 | 87491 |
| Gonorrhea (NAAT) | $47.80 | 87591 |
| Trichomoniasis (NAAT) | $47.76 | 87661 |
| HIV-1/2 antigen/antibody | $26.87 | 87389 |
| HIV-1/2 antibody | $22.44 | 86703 |
| Syphilis (RPR/VDRL) | $5.61 | 86592 |
| Syphilis (treponemal antibody) | $17.49 | 86780 |
| Herpes (HSV NAAT) | $47.76 | 87529 |
| Hepatitis B surface antigen | $15.33 | 87340 |
| Hepatitis C antibody | $29.16 | 86803 |
Source: Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule, CMS, 2025 rates (data.cms.gov). Reference rate for the lab assay only: a clinic visit, sample collection, or a bundled multi-test panel may cost more. Medicaid and most insurers cover STD screening at no out-of-pocket cost.
Two things that actually depend on California law: who can consent, and whether partners can be treated without their own visit. Everything else about testing privately is the same nationwide (see below).
In California, a minor aged 12 or older can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
California permits Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT): if you test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea, your provider can give you medication (or a prescription) to pass to your partner, no separate exam or appointment needed for them.
Keeping a test private works the same in every state. Whether an STD test shows on insurance (the EOB), how to test anonymously, and self-pay options that leave no insurance trail don’t change by location.
Learn more about confidential STD testing in CaliforniaSource: Guttmacher Institute, Minors' Access to STI Services; CDC, Legal Status of Expedited Partner Therapy. General information, not legal advice.
Good to Know
Answers to the questions people ask most before getting tested.
There are 9 options within a 30-mile drive.
Usually yes, it can be billed to insurance, or paid out of pocket at a flat rate.
Yes, free HIV testing is available at public clinics in the area.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
San Mateo County reported ~360 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the California average.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
In California, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Chlamydia is checked with a simple urine sample or a swab; lab results usually come back in a day or two.
A kit ships to your address; you collect a urine, swab, or finger-stick sample, mail it to the lab, and get results online in a few days.
Get treated, notify partners, pause sex until cleared, and follow up, the infection is manageable.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.