Pacific Grove alone has over 1,000 Victorian homes and cottages, and more than 500 of them carry historic green plaques from the Pacific Grove Heritage Society. Many of these two-story houses still have their steep original staircases. Across the rest of Monterey County, from Salinas and Seaside to King City and San Ardo, families face the same question when a parent starts struggling with the stairs.
We install stair lifts in all 24 communities in the county, including Marina, Prunedale, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Monte Forest and Carmel Valley Village. This page explains how local homes and hillsides shape the choice of lift, and which programs may help pay for one.
The Monterey Peninsula holds a large stock of older multi-story homes. Gothic Revival, Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, Stick/Eastlake and Tudor houses date from the late 1800s through the early 1900s, and few of them can be re-planned for single-floor living.
Stairs in period houses are often narrow, steep or turn at a landing. A straight staircase usually takes a straight rail, while a stair that turns needs a curved rail built to fit it. We measure each stair in person so the rail follows the staircase rather than forcing changes to woodwork.
The Santa Lucia Range hugs the coast and forms the steepest coastal slope in the contiguous United States. Cone Peak, at 5,158 ft, sits about three miles from the ocean. On the peninsula, in Carmel and in Big Sur, sloped lots often lead to split-level and multi-story designs.
That terrain means the hardest stairs are sometimes outside, between the driveway and the front door. Outdoor stair lifts are built for those runs. Where a wheelchair user needs to stay seated in the chair, a platform lift may fit better than a seat-style lift.
Housing in the county includes single-family homes, townhouses, low-rise buildings, walk-up apartments and split-level homes. In the Salinas River valley towns like Soledad, Greenfield, Gonzales and Chualar, a single-family home with one flight of stairs often needs only a straight rail.
Ownership matters. About 49.4% of households in the county own their homes, and most grant programs below require the owner to live in the house. If you rent a townhouse or walk-up apartment, talk with your landlord before planning an installation.
Help depends on which group you fall into. Medi-Cal members at risk of nursing home care should start with the CalAIM Environmental Accessibility Adaptations benefit, which lists stair lifts as covered.
Veterans can call the Monterey County Military & Veterans Affairs Office at (831) 647-7613, at 2620 1st Avenue in Marina. For everyone 60 and older, Monterey County Aging & Adult Services (PSA 32) at (831) 755-4466, 1000 South Main Street, Suite 211A in Salinas, can point you to local options.
Statewide, you can also ask about the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics) and the FreedomTech Low-Interest Assistive Technology Loan.
A Medi-Cal managed care benefit that covers stair lifts for members at risk of a nursing facility stay, offered at the option of each plan and approved case by case. Call (800) 700-3874.
A Medi-Cal waiver with environmental accessibility adaptations for people eligible for nursing facility level care; whether stair lifts are covered is unknown. Call (916) 552-9105.
A no-cost referral service for residents 60 and older and adults with disabilities; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (831) 755-4466.
Offers assistive technology support, housing help and CalAIM Community Supports coordination for people with disabilities in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source. Call (831) 757-2968.
A grant for owner-occupied single-family homes in the City of Monterey for households at or below 80% of area median income with a member who has a documented disability; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (831) 646-3995.
A volunteer nonprofit offering free home repair and accessibility modifications to low-income homeowners in towns including Salinas, Seaside, Marina, Pacific Grove and Prunedale; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026; stair lift coverage is unknown. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
1000 South Main Street, Suite 211A, Salinas, 93901
Veterans
2620 1st Avenue, Marina, 93933
It can. The CalAIM Environmental Accessibility Adaptations benefit lists stair lifts as covered for managed care members at risk of nursing facility care, if their plan offers it. Call (800) 700-3874 to ask.
The Area Agency on Aging serves people 60 and older, but it also serves adults with disabilities. The Central Coast Center for Independent Living at (831) 757-2968 works with people with disabilities of any age.
In most cases, yes. A stair lift rail mounts to the stair treads, so the staircase stays in place. Steep or turning original stairs usually need a curved rail measured to fit.
The City of Monterey Housing Accessibility Assistance Grant helps owner-occupants of single-family homes with incomes at or below 80% of area median income and a household member with a documented disability. Call (831) 646-3995.
Call the Monterey County Military & Veterans Affairs Office in Marina at (831) 647-7613. They can help with VA Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation grants, applied for with VA Form 26-4555.
Outdoor stair lifts are built for exterior steps like those on hillside lots in Carmel and on the peninsula. If the user needs to stay in a wheelchair, a platform lift may be the better choice.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
