1. Public Health
  2. Coronavirus
  3. Testing

Testing

someone's code is scanned on their phone ahead of testing at alliant energy centerThere are Many Options for COVID-19 Testing in Dane County

Testing is recommended if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have had close contact with someone who has tested positive. If you are vaccinated and don't have symptoms, you do not need to be tested. 

Map of Testing Sites

Additional Testing Options

  • Via Your Mailbox. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services offers a service for requesting a test kit delivered to your mailbox. Find details on their website.
  • Your Healthcare Provider. If you have health insurance, we recommend contacting your healthcare provider to see if they are able to test you.
  • UW-Madison Students and Staff. UW-Madison has testing available on campus for students and staff members.
  • Public Health Test Sites. See below for more information about the Alliant Energy Center and our South Madison Community test sites.

Alliant Energy Center

  • Alliant Energy Center: 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison, WI 53713
  • Learn more about how to navigate Alliant Energy Center, including information about arriving by foot, bike, bus, or vehicle. 

Wait Time:

Wait time is generally 30 minutes or less. Right when testing opens is typically the busiest time and may see a wait of 60-90 minutes. On weekdays, if the wait exceeds 90 minutes, we will do our best to post about it on our Twitter feed.

Hours:

  • Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00pm to 8:00pm
  • Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 8:00am to 4:00pm
  • The test site is closed on Sundays and Mondays. 
  • The test site will be closed on Saturday, June 19 in order to observe Juneteenth and to allow staff to participate in community events.
  • Vaccination and testing at Alliant Energy Center will be ending June 26. We will continue to  provide testing and vaccination services in our existing spaces including the South Madison and East Washington offices in addition to hosting mobile vaccination clinics throughout the county. See our news release for details.

If You Can, Pre-Register First

Register Online

We encourage you to pre-register as close as possible to your planned testing time to make sure we have your most current symptoms. After you pre-register, you'll receive a QR code (it's like a bar code). You can print out your QR code or you can show the QR code on your device.You need to pre-register each time you visit the test site and will be issued a new QR code that is unique for each visit. Follow these instructions on how to register.

  • If you come with other family members, each person must register individually. You can use the same email address for multiple people. You will be emailed one QR code for each person registered.
  • You'll be asked your name, birthday, address, phone number, race, ethnicity, and gender. By asking for race, ethnicity, and gender we can better identify possible disparities.

Testing Details for Alliant Energy Center

  • For anyone 12 months old and older. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
  • Free and no appointments
  • No ID is needed and you won't be asked for your immigration status.
  • Spanish interpreters are available onsite.
  • This test involves swabbing a sample from about one inch inside your nose. It will only tell us if you have COVID-19 right now. It does not tell us if you had COVID-19 in the past.
  • If you plan to travel internationally, check out our fact sheet for international travel documentation.

Transportation

Learn more about how to navigate Alliant Energy Center, including information about arriving by foot, bike, bus, or vehicle. Free rides are also available.

Severe weather

We will make every effort to continue testing and vaccinations safely during winter weather. We will post on our Twitter account if there is a change in schedule or a closure. 

Getting Your Results from Alliant Energy Center

Limit contact with others while you wait. Until you have your test results, limit contact with others. This is very important, especially if you have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19, or if you have symptoms like fever, cough, and sore throat.

Expect a Call or Email with Your Results. People tested at our test sites usually hear back in 12-48 hours, but test results can take longer.
  • For negative and positive results: you will be emailed a secure link. You will be prompted to enter your name and date of birth to verify your identity, and then can view and print your results. If you didn’t provide an email address, you will be called with your results. Your results will include your full name, date of birth, result, result date, and test ID number if you need proof of your test. If you do not view your test results within three days, you will receive a call.
  • Expect an email with the option to set up a MyChart account. Everyone will receive an email allowing them to set up a My Chart account to view results. This is optional.
  • If you have a question or haven't received results: If it has been at least 5 days since you got tested at the Alliant Energy Center and you haven't received your results, call the Wisconsin COVID-19 Results Line at (866) 419-6988.
  • Consider making an appointment to get vaccinated. When you're vaccinated, you don't need to be tested unless you have symptoms--even if you know you had close contact with a person who has tested positive.

South Madison Community Test Site

Village on Park: Public Health WIC Clinic at 2230 S. Park Street, Madison, WI 53713

  • Mondays: 8:00am – 4:00pm
  • Wednesdays: 12:00pm – 8:00pm

Make an Appointment

  • Appointments are scheduled in 15 minute time slots. Schedule an appointment by calling (608) 243-0302. Scheduling staff are not able to answer medical questions or provide medical advice.
  • All clients will receive confirmation e-mails (if an email was provided).
  • If you have more than one person in your household wanting testing:
    • Please try and schedule appointments for all household members within the same time slot(s); up to two household members per time slot will be allowed
    • If you have more than 2 household members, schedule consecutive time slots (e.g., 12:00pm and 12:15pm).

Testing Details for South Madison Test Site

  • For anyone 4 years and older. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to give consent on their behalf. If your child struggles to complete the test, after a short period of time, we will request that they get tested at a doctor’s office or try again another day. 
  • Free
  • No ID is needed and you won't be asked for your immigration status.
  • Spanish interpreters are available onsite.
  • If you plan to travel internationally, check out our fact sheet for international travel documentation.

Test Types Available at South Madison Site

  • Two types of diagnostic tests are available at this site: PCR tests and antigen tests. 
  • Both tests involve swabbing a sample from about one inch inside your nose. 
  • People tested at our test sites with a PCR test usually hear back in 12-48 hours, but test results can take longer. Antigen test results take about 15 minutes. 
  • See our blog post for an explanation about what the tests can and cannot tell us, and if you'll need a confirmatory PCR test after an Antigen test or not. 
  • Both tests will only tell us if you have COVID-19 right now. They do not tell us if you had COVID-19 in the past.

Transportation

  • This is not drive-up testing. You will need to enter the building.
  • For a free ride to the site, call the Public Health Transportation Line at (608) 243-0420. A transportation company will then call you to schedule the ride. It’s required that you wear a cloth face covering when using this service. Please note this is not an on-demand service; you will schedule an appointment with the company for a later date.

Getting Your Results from South Madison Test Site

Limit contact with others while you wait. Until you have your test results, limit contact with others. This is very important, especially if you have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19, or if you have symptoms like fever, cough, and sore throat.

Expect a Call or Email with Your Results. People tested at our test sites with a PCR test usually hear back in 12-48 hours, but test results can take longer. We cannot expedite test results. People tested at South Madison with an antigen test will get a second swab immediately for PCR. You will get an email with your antigen test results as soon as the test is read, usually about 15-20 minutes later.  
  • For negative and positive results: you will be emailed a secure link. You will be prompted to enter your name and date of birth to verify your identity, and then can view and print your results. If you didn’t provide an email address, you will be called with your results. Your results will include your full name, date of birth, result, result date, and test ID number if you need proof of your test. If you do not view your test results within three days, you will receive a call.
  • Expect an email with the option to set up a MyChart account. Everyone will receive an email allowing them to set up a My Chart account to view results. This is optional.
  • If you have a question or haven't received results: If it has been at least 5 days since you got tested at and you haven't received your results, call the Wisconsin COVID-19 Results Line at (866) 419-6988.
  • Consider making an appointment to get vaccinated. When you're vaccinated, you don't need to be tested unless you have symptoms--even if you know you had close contact with a person who has tested positive.