St. Mary's County has some of the oldest standing buildings in English North America, and a good number of them are still lived in. A colonial-era farmhouse outside Leonardtown and a two-story home built in Lexington Park after 1970 can sit a few miles apart, and their staircases ask very different things of a stair lift.
This page walks through what the county's homes and its peninsula setting mean for a lift, from Charlotte Hall and Mechanicsville down to Piney Point and Tall Timbers. It also lists the Maryland and local programs that may help cover the cost, with the phone numbers to call.
Many of the county's historic farmhouses have narrow, steep staircases. Those stairs can often take a lift, but we measure tread depth, width and any turns before recommending a model, because a tight colonial stair leaves little room for error.
The two-story and split-level homes built during the county's growth since 1970 are usually simpler. A single straight run often fits a straight rail, which is the most common and least involved install. Stairs with a landing, a turn or a curve call for a curved rail built to that staircase.
Townhouses in places like California and Wildewood tend to have straight interior stairs as well, though shared walls and tighter landings can affect where the rail and the parked chair end up.
Interior St. Mary's is hilly, and the shoreline along the Patuxent, the Potomac, the Wicomico and the Chesapeake Bay has clay-and-sand cliffs, bluffs and tidal marsh. Homes on sloped lots often have steps from the driveway or yard up to the door before anyone reaches the indoor stairs.
For those outside steps, an outdoor-rated stair lift is built to handle weather. When the person uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the option to talk through instead. Manufactured homes, which are part of the county's housing mix, often have entry steps where this question comes up.
The built-up area around Lexington Park and California near Pax River is the easiest part of the county to reach. On a water-bound peninsula, homes farther out can mean longer travel times for installation and service visits.
If you live near Golden Beach, Callaway or Piney Point, ask up front how service calls are scheduled. Planning maintenance ahead is easier than waiting on a repair when the lift is the only way upstairs.
The clearest public source is Maryland Medicaid. The Community First Choice environmental adaptations benefit names stair glides directly and allows up to $15,780.00 over a rolling 3-year period, after a licensed occupational therapist's in-home assessment and pre-authorization by the Maryland Dept. of Health.
For homeowners who are not on Medicaid, the Maryland Housing Rehabilitation Program lists chair lifts among eligible improvements, with loans generally up to $50,000. Income limits apply, set at 80% of the statewide or Washington, D.C. area median. The county's median household income was $80,053 (2010 Census), which sits above several of these thresholds, so not every household will qualify.
Other programs below, including VA grants and USDA Section 504, may help with home changes, but their sources do not name stair lifts. The statewide list also includes the Maryland Assistive Technology Loan Program and VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics). The ADRC/MAP at (301) 475-4200 can help sort out which applies.
A Maryland Medicaid benefit that covers stair lifts (named as stair glides), up to $15,780.00 over a rolling 3-year period, with two quotes needed for items over $1,000 and stair-glide repairs over $1,500. Participants must need nursing-facility level of care; call (410) 767-1739.
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and older who need nursing-facility level of care, with income and asset limits and a waitlist. The waiver page does not list stair lifts itself, but enrollees can use the Community First Choice adaptations benefit; call (844) 627-5465.
State loans, generally up to $50,000 at 0% to 6% interest for up to 30 years, for owner-occupants of single-family homes under 80% of median income. Chair lifts are listed as an eligible improvement; call (301) 429-7409.
Deferred 0% loans, or grants up to $25,000, for owner-occupied homes with a household member age 55 or older and income under 80% of median. The listed improvements include ramps, grab bars and wider doorways, but stair lifts are not listed; call (301) 429-7409.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas, with grants limited to those 62 or older. The source does not list stair lifts or accessibility changes specifically.
A VA grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans and service members with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home. Stair lifts are not listed among covered adaptations in the source.
A VA grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities such as loss of use of both hands. Stair lifts are not listed among covered adaptations in the source.
Up to $50,961 for SAH-eligible or $9,100 for SHA-eligible veterans (FY2026) who are temporarily living in a family member's home. The source does not list stair lifts specifically.
A home modification program for seniors 62 and older in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties, using the CAPABLE program. The source does not say which modifications are funded; call (301) 884-4498.
An equipment loan library, including portable ramps, for people with disabilities in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties. Stair lifts are not listed as loanable equipment; call (301) 884-4498.
Critical home repairs for veterans and their families in Calvert and St. Mary's counties. The source does not list stair lifts or specific repair types; call (301) 863-6227.
A free information and referral service open to all income levels that points residents to aging and disability services, including the Medicaid waiver and Community First Choice. It does not fund modifications itself; call (301) 475-4200.
Older adults
41780 Baldridge Street, Leonardtown, 20650
Veterans
Government Park Route 245, Leonardtown, 20650
It can, if the person is enrolled in Community First Choice, the Home and Community-Based Options Waiver, or Increased Community Supports. The benefit names stair glides and allows up to $15,780.00 over a rolling 3-year period. An occupational therapist must assess the home first, and the Maryland Dept. of Health must pre-authorize it. The number is (410) 767-1739.
Often, yes. Narrow, steep staircases in the county's colonial-era farmhouses are common candidates for straight or curved lifts. The fit depends on the exact width, steepness and turns, so we measure in person before recommending anything.
The ADRC/MAP, run through the St. Mary's County Dept of Aging & Human Services at 41780 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown, is a free referral service open to all income levels. Call (301) 475-4200 and they can point you to the Medicaid and state programs.
The Veterans Service Program at the Garvey Senior Center in Leonardtown can be reached at (301) 475-4200. VA SAH, SHA and TRA grants help with home adaptations for qualifying service-connected disabilities, though their sources do not name stair lifts. Patuxent Habitat for Humanity's Veterans Repair Corps at (301) 863-6227 also does home repairs for veterans.
SMCIL's Older Adult Home Modification Program serves seniors 62 and older in St. Mary's, Calvert and Charles counties at (301) 884-4498, though its source does not say which changes it funds. USDA Section 504 grants are also limited to applicants 62 or older in eligible rural areas.
It can. On this peninsula, homes outside the Lexington Park and California corridor may see longer travel times for installation and service. Ask how maintenance visits are scheduled before you buy, and consider whether outside steps on a sloped lot need an outdoor lift too.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
