Hotline - 775-328-2427

COVID-19 Testing for Washoe County Residents

Schedule a COVID-19 Test

The Washoe County Health District is offering free COVID-19 testing through our drive-through method at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center. To find other test sites in Washoe County, see our including pharmacies, go here.“

To find other COVID-19 test sites in Nevada, please go here.

At-home tests

Find free at-home COVID-19 tests here (while supplies last).

Test results

The facility where you conduct your test will notify you of negative test results; the Heath District will notify you as soon as possible if you are COVID-19 positive. 

If testing is done by Washoe County at the drive-thru testing site, we will notify you of a negative test result in 3-7 days.

If you test positive

See these documents for what to do if you test positive for COVID-19 (En español)

What does it mean if my COVID-19 test came back negative? What should I do?

A negative test result indicates you were not infected at the time of your test. However, you could have been exposed and test positive later.  You must continue to practice all the protective measures to keep yourself and others safe.  As long as the virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading in our community, continue to follow recommendations to protect yourself including: practice social distancing; wash your hands often; avoid touching your face; and, avoid social gatherings.

If you received the results of your test via email from the Washoe County Health District, a letter to your employer would have been attached. That letter states that the test results were negative. You can provide that letter to your employer if necessary.

The following guidance is also applicable:

  • If you had no known contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, you may return to normal activities once your symptoms have resolved for at least 24 hours.
  • If you had known contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, you must remain in home isolation for a minimum of 14 days from your last exposure to the positive case, regardless of symptoms or symptom resolution.  Once this time period has passed, you may resume normal activities if you do not have any symptoms. However, if you begin to exhibit symptoms after your test date but within the 14-day time frame, contact your healthcare provider for medical advice prior to resuming normal activities.

Additional guidance related to COVID-19 is available at https://covid19washoe.com and www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov.  If you have further questions beyond what is provided by these resources, please contact your healthcare provider.

We ask that people in “Stay Home For Nevada,” wear a face covering, social distance at least 6 feet, wash hands often with soap and water, avoid touching your face, avoid contact with people who are sick and cough or sneeze into your sleeve. Click here for more info. We will continue to conduct drive-through testing for high-risk residents and work with our local hospitals to conduct as many sample collections as possible.