Sacramento County runs from the Victorian blocks of Alkali Flat and Midtown out to Elk Grove, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Folsom and Galt, with 33 towns and communities in all. Many of the oldest homes in the city's core are two and three stories tall, built between the 1850s and the mid-20th century, and almost all of them rely on an interior staircase to reach the bedrooms.
Most of the county sits on flat valley floor close to sea level, so the hard part of staying home usually isn't the lot or the driveway. It's the stairs inside. This page walks through how local homes affect the kind of stair lift you'd need, and which Sacramento County and California programs might help cover the cost.
Poverty Ridge holds two- and three-story Queen Anne Victorians, Colonial Revival mansions, Craftsman homes and Mediterranean Revival villas built from 1850 to 1910. Midtown adds Italianate, Queen Anne and Stick homes next to Craftsman bungalows. These houses were built long before anyone planned for aging in place.
In East Sacramento and Land Park, most homes went up in the 1920s and 1930s in Tudor Revival, Spanish/Mediterranean Revival, Colonial Revival and Craftsman/California Bungalow styles. Curtis Park mixes Craftsman bungalows with Prairie-style homes. Any of these with a second floor is a candidate for a stair lift.
A straight staircase with no turns or landings can usually take a standard straight rail. If the stairs turn, wrap around a landing or split partway up, the rail has to be custom-bent to fit, which is what we call a curved stair lift. We measure the stairs in person before recommending either one.
Not every home here is a Victorian. Tahoe Park filled in after the war with 1940s-50s California Ranch and cottage styles, and Elmhurst blends early Craftsman and California Bungalows with post-war Ranch cottages. A single-story ranch may have no interior stairs at all, but a few steps at the front or back door can still be a problem.
For those entry steps, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift is often the better fit. Sacramento's hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters mean an outdoor unit needs a weather cover and parts rated for sun and rain.
Townhouses are a common fit for straight indoor lifts. In walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, the stairs are usually shared, so the building owner or association has to approve any install before we can quote it.
Sacramento County covers about 965 square miles where the American and Sacramento Rivers meet, and some delta areas sit below sea level. Because most lots are flat, interior stairs are the main barrier we see, not hillside grade.
The land rises to the east toward the Sierra Nevada foothills, reaching the county high point at Carpenter Hill (828 ft) in the southeast part of Folsom. Homes in that rolling terrain are more likely to have exterior steps or a split-level entry, which is where outdoor and platform lifts come into the conversation.
The county has 1,568,838 residents, and 14.9% are 65 or older. About 59.1% of households own their home, which matters because most funding programs and home repair grants require you to own and live in the house.
If that includes you or a parent, the VA grants below are worth checking first, since they can carry much higher limits than local repair programs.
The program most likely to pay for a stair lift directly is the Medi-Cal Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver. It covers home access changes as Environmental Accessibility Adaptations when they are medically necessary and written into the service plan, with no fixed statewide dollar cap. There is a waitlist, with a maximum of 8,974 participants as of July 2023.
Veterans with a qualifying service-connected disability can look at the VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant, up to $126,526 for FY2026, or the VA Special Home Adaptation (SHA) Grant, up to $25,350 for FY2026. The Sacramento County Veterans Service Office at 3970 Research Drive, Sacramento, can help with the application at (916) 874-6811.
Local repair programs from SHRA and Rebuilding Together Sacramento don't list stair lifts, but they may handle related safety work like handrails or ramps. The Area 4 Agency on Aging at 2260 Park Towne Circle, Suite 100, Sacramento, is a good first call at (916) 486-1876 to sort out which program fits. 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 statewide Medi-Cal waiver for people who need nursing facility level of care, and it covers stair lifts as Environmental Accessibility Adaptations when they are medically necessary and in the service plan. Call (800) 776-5746; expect a waitlist.
A county-run Medi-Cal program that pays for caregiver hours, including help moving around inside the home, but it does not cover stair lifts or other equipment. Caseworkers may refer you to waiver programs for home changes; call (916) 498-1000.
A no-cost nonprofit program for low-to-moderate-income homeowners that installs grab bars, handrails, transition ramps and similar safety items; stair lifts are not listed. Average wait is 3-4 weeks, Rancho Cordova has a separate application, and the number is (916) 455-1880.
A grant of up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners to fix health and safety hazards, open in Sacramento, Galt, Folsom, Isleton and unincorporated Sacramento County but not Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova or parts of Elk Grove; stair lifts are not specifically named. Applications open the first business day of June through August 31 and the first business day of November through February 28; call (916) 440-1317.
An independent living center for people with disabilities in Sacramento and Yolo counties that does not fund stair lifts but offers assistive technology lending, housing help, peer counseling and referrals to home modification resources. Call (916) 446-3074.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 for FY2026, usable up to 6 times, for veterans adapting a permanent home for a qualifying service-connected disability; the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Apply with VA Form 26-4555 or call (800) 827-1000.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 for FY2026, usable up to 6 times, for mobility-access changes tied to certain service-connected disabilities; the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Apply with VA Form 26-4555 or call (800) 827-1000.
The county's Area Agency on Aging gives information and referrals for adults 60+ and adults with disabilities and funds Rebuilding Together Sacramento for home modifications; it is unknown if stair lifts are included. Call (800) 211-4545.
Older adults
2260 Park Towne Circle, Suite 100, Sacramento, 95825
Veterans
3970 Research Drive, Sacramento, 95838
Regular Medi-Cal care through IHSS does not. The Medi-Cal Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver can cover one as an Environmental Accessibility Adaptation if you need nursing facility level of care and it's medically necessary in your plan. Call (800) 776-5746 to ask about the waitlist.
Start with the Area 4 Agency on Aging at (916) 486-1876. It serves adults 60+ and can point you to programs like Rebuilding Together Sacramento, which does no-cost safety work for low-to-moderate-income homeowners, though stair lifts aren't on its list.
No, Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights are excluded, along with parts of Elk Grove. Rebuilding Together Sacramento does serve Rancho Cordova through a separate application at (916) 455-1880.
Usually, yes. Stairs that turn or have a landing need a curved rail built to the exact shape of your staircase, so we measure in person first. Straight stairs can take a standard rail.
Call the Sacramento County Veterans Service Office at (916) 874-6811. They can help you see if you qualify for the VA SAH grant (up to $126,526 for FY2026) or the SHA grant (up to $25,350 for FY2026), both filed with VA Form 26-4555.
For a short run of entry steps, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift often works better than an indoor model. Outdoor units here should have a cover to handle hot, dry summers and wet winters.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
