Butte County runs from flat Sacramento Valley farmland around Richvale and Gridley up through the foothills near Oroville and onto the Sierra Nevada ridges above Paradise, Magalia and Stirling City. That climb shapes the houses people live in, and it shapes the kind of stair lift that fits them.
In Chico and Oroville, many older single-family homes have a full staircase between floors. Up on the ridge, sloped lots mean split-level and hillside homes, plus newer houses built after the 2018 Camp Fire. This page walks through what those homes mean for a stair lift and where to look for help paying for one.
Much of the housing in Chico and Oroville is older single-family homes, and many are two stories with the bedrooms upstairs. A single straight flight is the simplest case for a stair lift: a straight rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, and the house stays as it is.
Townhouses in Chico often have the same straight run, though some turn at a landing. A staircase with a turn or landing usually needs a curved rail built to the shape of those stairs. Walk-up apartments are a different question, since common stairs belong to the building owner, so talk with the owner before planning anything.
Paradise and Magalia sit on sloped, multi-level lots, and split-level homes are common there. A split-level often has several short flights instead of one long one. Each short flight can take its own straight lift, or one curved rail can follow the stairs through the turns, depending on the layout.
Hillside lots also bring steps outside: from the driveway to the porch, or down to a lower door. Outdoor stair lifts are built for weather and can handle those exterior runs. Where there are only a few steps, a platform lift that carries a wheelchair or walker may be the better fit.
The 2018 Camp Fire destroyed over 10,000 homes, about 87% of the housing in Paradise. The rebuild has brought newer, code-current homes to the ridge, some single-story and some multi-level. Before the fire, mobile and motor homes made up roughly one-fifth of the housing in Paradise.
If you are rebuilding a multi-level home and expect to stay for years, it helps to think about stairs now. A straight staircase with room at the top and bottom is the easiest and least costly to fit with a lift later. Many older residents also moved to Chico after the fire, a city that grew about 20% afterward, and now live in older valley homes with stairs.
At the 2020 census, 19.0% of Butte County residents were 65 or older. About 55.4% of households own their homes, and owners can usually install a stair lift without asking anyone's permission.
If that includes you or a parent, the Butte County Veterans Service Office at 765 East Avenue, Suite 200, Chico, can help with VA paperwork. Call (530) 552-6608.
The Medi-Cal HCBA Waiver is the program here that clearly covers home adaptations of the kind a stair lift falls under, but it is for people who need a nursing facility level of care. Veterans with a qualifying service-connected disability can look at the VA SAH and SHA grants.
For homeowners with lower incomes, the county's CDBG rehabilitation loan lists accessibility modifications as eligible work, and USDA Section 504 helps owners in rural areas such as the foothill and eastern ridge communities. Neither source mentions stair lifts by name, so ask directly.
Not sure where to start? Passages, the Area Agency on Aging in Chico, is the front door for older adults and caregivers and can point you to the right program. Statewide, also ask about the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), the FreedomTech Low-Interest Assistive Technology Loan and VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics).
A statewide Medi-Cal waiver for people who need a nursing facility level of care; it covers home modifications as Environmental Accessibility Adaptations, the category a stair lift falls under, and the primary source says there should be no individual cost limit. Call (800) 300-1506.
A no-interest, deferred-payment loan for owner-occupied homes with household income at or below 80% of the Butte County area median; accessibility modifications are eligible work, though stair lifts are not listed by name.
Very-low-income owners of eligible rural properties can get loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and owners 62+ can get grants up to $10,000, combined up to $50,000 ($15,000 grant / $55,000 combined in presidentially declared disaster areas). Stair lifts are not listed, so check your address on the USDA eligibility map and ask.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities to change a permanent home; whether a stair lift qualifies is decided in the VA-approved plan. Call (877) 827-3702.
Pays for in-home caregiver hours for aged, blind or disabled Medi-Cal recipients living at home; it does not pay for stair lifts or home modifications. Call (530) 552-6161.
The county's entry point for adults 60+ and caregivers, offering information, care management, Medicare counseling and referrals to funding programs; it does not fund stair lifts directly. Call (530) 898-5923.
A nonprofit at 1161 East Avenue in Chico offering free assistive technology guidance, housing referral and help finding funding for people with disabilities; stair lift funding is not listed. Call (530) 893-8527.
Builds new affordable homes for low-income families through a sweat-equity homeownership program; no stair lift or home-modification repair program is listed. Call (530) 895-1271.
Older adults
2491 Carmichael Drive, Suite 400, Chico, 95928
Veterans
765 East Avenue, Suite 200, Chico, 95926
Through the HCBA Waiver, possibly. It covers home adaptations of the kind a stair lift falls under, but only for people who need a nursing facility level of care and are enrolled in or applying for Medi-Cal. Call (800) 300-1506 to ask about the waiver agency for Butte County.
No. IHSS in Butte County pays for in-home caregiver hours, not equipment or home modifications. It can still be useful alongside a stair lift if your parent needs help at home.
Usually, yes. Each short flight can get its own straight lift, or a single curved rail can follow the stairs through the turns. An in-home measurement shows which costs less for your layout.
Passages, the Area Agency on Aging at 2491 Carmichael Drive, Suite 400, in Chico, serves adults 60+ and caregivers in Butte County. They can sort out which funding programs fit. Call (530) 898-5923.
USDA Section 504 serves very-low-income owners of eligible rural properties, and Butte County's foothill and eastern ridge communities include eligible areas. Owners 62+ can get grants up to $10,000. Check your address on the USDA eligibility map first.
Yes. Shared stairs in a walk-up building belong to the owner, so the building owner has to agree before anything is installed.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
