From Richmond and El Cerrito on the bay side to Walnut Creek, Danville and San Ramon in the valleys and out to Antioch, Brentwood and Discovery Bay in the east, Contra Costa County covers 49 towns. Many of them sit on the slopes and foothills around Mount Diablo, and the houses show it. Split-level and two-story homes built against the hills are common, and so are steps up to the front door.
That layout is the reason most stair lift calls here start the same way: someone can still live well on one floor but cannot safely reach the bedroom, the laundry or the street. This page walks through how local homes affect the choice of lift and where county, state, nonprofit and VA programs may help with the cost.
Mount Diablo rises to 3,849 feet above the foothills and valleys of the county, and more than 90,000 acres of public land spread across 38 parks and preserves. Homes built on that rolling ground often step down the slope, which means more interior flights and more entry stairs than a flat-lot house would have.
A single straight flight in a two-story house is the simplest job. A straight lift runs on a rail fixed to the stair treads, not the wall, and usually goes in within a day.
Split-level homes are different. They tend to have several short flights, sometimes with a turn or landing, so the answer may be a curved rail that follows the stairs or separate straight lifts on each short run. We measure every flight before recommending one or the other.
On a hillside lot the hardest stairs are often outside: the walk from the driveway or the steps up to the porch. An outdoor stair lift is built with weather-resistant parts and a cover for the seat, and it mounts to concrete, wood or stone steps.
When someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift may fit better than a chair. Platform lifts need more width on the stairs, so the measurement visit matters even more.
Rossmoor in Walnut Creek is the county's main 55+ community, with 6,676 residential units. About 40% are garden-style duplexes to fourplexes, and the community also has mid- and high-rise buildings and 63 single-family homes. Many garden-style units have stairs inside or up to the entrance.
Townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings elsewhere in the county raise the same question. A lift inside your own unit is usually straightforward, while a lift on shared or exterior stairs needs a conversation with the building or community first. We can help you gather the measurements and product details that conversation needs.
About 16.6% of county residents are 65 or older, and 67.9% own their homes. That combination is why so many families here plan to stay put and adapt the house rather than move.
If a service-connected disability is part of the picture, the VA grant described below may be worth checking before paying out of pocket.
Many homeowners here pay privately, but several programs are worth a phone call first. Only the VA Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation grants are confirmed in our source to cover stair lifts. For the others, coverage is either unknown or not mentioned, so ask directly.
Contra Costa County Aging & Adult Services (PSA 7) is at 40 Douglas Drive in Martinez, (925) 335-8700. The Contra Costa County Veterans Service Office is nearby at 10 Douglas Drive, Suite 100, Martinez, (925) 313-1481.
Statewide options to ask about also include VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) and the FreedomTech Low-Interest Assistive Technology Loan.
A statewide Medi-Cal waiver for people who need nursing facility level of care and live at home, with home modifications set case-by-case in an individual service plan and no fixed dollar cap in the cited source. Whether stair lifts are covered is unknown, so ask during the service plan process.
The county's information, referral, fall-prevention and in-home support office for adults 60 and older and dependent adults 18 and older; it is not a direct stair lift grant and coverage is unknown. Call (925) 229-8434.
A nonprofit independent living center offering free help with assistive technology, housing and accessibility, and Veterans Directed Care for seniors and people with disabilities; stair lifts are not listed in its program description. Call (925) 363-7293.
For income-qualified owners living in a mobile home in the county's urban county area, this offers a 0% interest, 20-year deferred loan with no monthly payments, with 10% forgiven each year after year 10; stair lifts are not listed. Call (510) 803-3388.
Federal grants that cover stair lifts for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026, applied for with VA Form 26-4555. Call (800) 827-1000 or the county Veterans Service Office at (925) 313-1481.
Older adults
40 Douglas Drive, Martinez, 94553
Veterans
10 Douglas Drive, Suite 100, Martinez, 94553
The Contra Costa County Area Agency on Aging serves adults 60 and older and also dependent adults 18 and older. Independent Living Resources of Solano & Contra Costa Counties serves any individual with a disability at no charge.
The source lists income up to $1,836 a month for a single person or $2,490 for a couple, with assets under $130,000 for an individual or $195,000 for a couple. The person must also need nursing facility level of care and live in their own home, a relative's home or a congregate living health facility, not assisted living.
The VA SAH and SHA grants cover stair lifts for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, and SHA can be used in a family member's home. Start with the Contra Costa County Veterans Service Office in Martinez at (925) 313-1481 or the VA at (800) 827-1000.
Not always. Short flights can sometimes each take a straight lift, while flights with a turn or landing usually need a curved rail. A measurement of each flight decides it.
Rossmoor has garden-style duplexes to fourplexes, mid- and high-rise buildings and single-family homes, so it depends on where the stairs are. Stairs inside your own unit are usually simplest, and shared or exterior stairs should be cleared with the community first.
Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley offers a deferred 0% loan for income-qualified mobile home owners in the county's urban county area. Stair lifts are not listed, so call (510) 803-3388 to ask what accessibility work it can include.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
