Park County covers 2,211 square miles and holds the geographic center of Colorado. Fairplay, the county seat, was founded in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush and still has a downtown of 19th-century wood-frame and log buildings. Alma sits nearby in the same high South Park basin, where the average elevation runs roughly 9,000 feet.
Out in the mountain subdivisions around Bailey, Como and the Lake George area, houses are built on steep, forested, granite-strewn lots. That means raised foundations, walkout basements, split-level layouts and long exterior stairs from the driveway to the front door. Those are exactly the spots where a stair lift can keep someone living in the home they already own.
Most homes here are single-family houses: detached homes, ranch-style homes and split-level homes. A ranch-style home with a walkout basement often has one straight interior run, which is the simplest and usually the quickest lift to fit.
Split-level and multi-story layouts are different. Short flights with landings, or a stair that turns, usually call for a curved rail built to that exact staircase. We measure each flight before recommending anything.
Older wood-frame and log structures in historic Fairplay can have narrow or uneven stairs. Those need a careful look at the treads and the wall or floor where the rail will mount.
On sloped lots around Bailey and the Front Range foothills, the hardest climb is often outside, on stairs that bridge a big grade change between the driveway and the entry. An outdoor stair lift, or a platform lift where a wheelchair is involved, can handle that climb.
Park County gets heavy winter snow, so an outdoor unit has to be planned with clearing and covering in mind. We talk through where snow piles up and how the rail will be kept usable before we quote an exterior job.
About 44.7% of the county's housing units are recorded as vacant, largely seasonal and vacation cabins. Many of these buildings were never designed with year-round accessibility in mind.
If a cabin has become a full-time home, stairs that were fine for summer weekends can become the main barrier. A home assessment shows whether a straight, curved, outdoor or platform lift fits the layout you have.
Roughly 25-26% of Park County residents are 65 or older, well above the statewide average, and the county has an 86.2% owner-occupied housing rate. Local senior-housing alternatives are limited, so most people adapt the house they own.
Distance adds to it. Specialized healthcare often means a trip to the Denver metro area along U.S. Highway 285, and communities are spread out across State Highway 9 and U.S. Highway 24. A fall on the stairs far from help is a real risk, which is why families here often look at lifts early.
No single program here clearly pays for stair lifts, so it helps to know which doors to knock on. The Colorado Medicaid EBD waiver home modification benefit does not name stair lifts but says its list is not limited to the examples given, so ask your case manager. The VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, though a VA clinician may prescribe one separately through Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service.
For veterans, the Park County Veteran Service Officer can help sort out VA claims at no cost. Residents 60 and older can start with the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging or the Park County Senior Coalition. Statewide resources to ask about include the Assistive Technology Act Program of Colorado (AT Partners) and the Colorado Senior Property Tax Exemption (Senior Homestead Exemption).
Pays for home modifications up to a $14,000 lifetime maximum for people enrolled in qualifying HCBS waivers, coordinated through a case manager with a therapist evaluation. Stair lifts are not listed by name, so confirm with your case manager; call (800) 221-3943.
Provides up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime, depending on disability status, for medically necessary structural changes to a veteran's primary residence. It does not cover stair lifts or stair glides, though a VA clinician may prescribe one separately through Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service.
Offers up to $126,526 (FY2026 maximum) for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities to build, buy or extensively remodel an adapted home. The source mentions ramps and widened doorways but does not name stair lifts.
Provides up to $25,350 (FY2026 maximum) to adapt a home owned by a veteran or qualifying family member with certain service-connected disabilities. Stair lifts are not specifically named as a covered item.
Free benefits counseling and claims help for Park County veterans and their families, with office hours at 825 Clark Street in Fairplay and at Platte Canyon Fire Station #2 in Bailey. It does not fund stair lifts itself; call (719) 838-0014 for an appointment.
Offers 1% repair loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners in eligible rural areas, with grants limited to those 62 or older and aimed at removing health and safety hazards. Stair lifts are not named; check your address and call (720) 544-2903.
The area agency on aging for El Paso, Park and Teller counties, serving people 60 and older with information, caregiver support, mobility coordination and insurance counseling at no fee. It does not list a stair lift funding program but is a good starting point for referrals; call (719) 471-2096.
A Fairplay-based nonprofit offering registered residents 60 and older help with seasonal chores and home health and safety needs, plus transportation and food assistance. Stair lifts are not named and no dollar cap is published; call (719) 836-4295.
Older adults
15 S. 7th Street, Colorado Springs, 80905
Veterans
825 Clark Street, Fairplay, 80440
Not through the HISA grant, which specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. A VA clinician may prescribe a stair lift through Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service when it is medically necessary. The Park County Veteran Service Officer at (719) 838-0014 can help you sort out which VA benefits apply.
The EBD waiver home modification benefit lists items like ramps, grab bars and doorway widening, and says coverage is not limited to those. Stair lifts are not named, so your assigned case manager has to confirm. The lifetime maximum is $14,000 for the EBD waiver.
The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging and the Park County Senior Coalition both serve people 60 and older. Younger residents may qualify for the Medicaid waiver if they meet its disability and financial rules, and veterans of any age can work with the county VSO.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts and platform lifts are built for exterior stairs like the ones common on sloped lots around Bailey and Lake George. With Park County's heavy winter snow, we plan for clearing and covering the unit during the assessment.
Often it can, but many seasonal cabins here were not designed for year-round accessibility. We check the stair shape, width and mounting surfaces, including older wood-frame or log construction, before recommending a straight, curved or platform lift.
Veterans Services for Park County is at 825 Clark Street in Fairplay, phone (719) 836-4132. The VSO also holds hours at Platte Canyon Fire Station #2 in Bailey, so call ahead for an appointment.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
