From Greilickville up to Northport, and over to Leland, Empire and Glen Arbor, Leelanau County homes sit on rolling, hilly ground between Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. Many are traditional multi-story farmhouses, older lake cottages, or houses built into sloped and bluff lots. That means stairs inside, stairs outside, and often both.
This page walks through how those homes affect the choice of a stair lift, what the peninsula's layout means for scheduling an install, and which programs in Suttons Bay, Omena, Lake Leelanau and the rest of the county may help with the cost.
A straight staircase in a single-family home or farmhouse is usually the simplest case. A straight rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster and old trim stay intact.
Older lake cottages often have tight stairs that turn at a landing or wind as they climb. Those need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the staircase, so we measure on site before anything is ordered.
Homes built into a slope or bluff may have exterior steps from the driveway to the door, or down toward the water. An outdoor stair lift is built for weather, and for some entries a platform lift may fit better than a seat.
Split-level homes have short flights between several levels. Sometimes one curved rail can link two flights; other times two separate straight lifts cost less and work better.
In a ranch-style home the main living space is usually on one floor, so the question is often the basement stairs to laundry or storage. In walk-up apartments, the building owner has to approve anything installed in a shared stairwell, so get that answer before measuring.
As of 2020, Leelanau County had a median age of 55.1, and 32.3% of residents were 65 or older. 2024 estimates put homeownership at 91.6%, so most people asking about a lift own the house and can decide on modifications themselves.
The county covers the whole Leelanau Peninsula, which runs about 30 miles into Lake Michigan, and only about 347 of its roughly 2,532 square miles is land. With Lake Leelanau and Glen Lake in the middle and many installers based in Traverse City, travel distances are longer than in town. Plan a little extra lead time for the site visit and install.
Most stair lifts here are paid for out of pocket, but several programs are worth a call. None of the sources we reviewed names stair lifts as a covered item, except the VA HISA grant, which specifically excludes stair glides.
The Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan at 1609 Park Drive in Traverse City, (231) 947-8920, is a good first call. It handles MI Choice Medicaid Waiver enrollment for Leelanau County and can point you to other help. Veterans can contact the Grand Traverse County Veterans Affairs Office at 2650 LaFranier Road, Traverse City, (231) 995-6070.
A Medicaid waiver for Michigan residents 65+, or 18-64 with a physical disability, who meet nursing-facility level-of-care criteria; it includes environmental accessibility adaptations, but stair lifts are not named in the source. Call (800) 442-1713, or reach enrollment through the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan.
Care management, MI Choice enrollment, information and referral, and caregiver support for older adults and caregivers in Leelanau and nine other counties; it is not a cash grant and stair lifts are not listed. Call (231) 947-8920.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary home alterations prescribed by a VA provider. It does not cover stair lifts; the VA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities to buy, build or adapt a home: SAH up to $126,526, SHA up to $25,350, and TRA up to $50,961 or $9,100 (FY2026). The VA page does not mention stair lifts.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% for 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income rural homeowners age 62+, through the Traverse City area office. Stair lifts are not named in the source; call (231) 941-0951.
Low-cost, fixed-rate loans listed at up to $30,000 for assistive technology, including home modification, for Michigan residents with a disability, older adults or family members. Stair lifts are not named; call (800) 578-0280.
An application-based accessibility program for Elders and certifiable disabled Grand Traverse Band members in the Band's six-county service area, which includes Leelanau County. Covered modifications are not itemized; call (231) 534-7886.
Interest-free, 5-year repair loans from $3,500 to $6,500 based on income for homeowners under 80% of Area Median Income, with accessibility as a priority category. Stair lifts are not named and the source does not mention Leelanau County, so call (231) 941-4663 to confirm.
Case-by-case emergency financial help, including essential home repair, for honorably discharged or retired veterans of any era in Northern Michigan. Stair lifts are not itemized; call (231) 493-6717.
A Center for Independent Living serving 17 counties, including Leelanau, with referral, advocacy, skills training and peer support rather than cash grants. No stair lift funding is listed; call (231) 922-0903.
Older adults
1609 Park Drive, Traverse City, 49686
Veterans
2650 LaFranier Road, Traverse City, 49686
Not through the HISA grant, which explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH, SHA and TRA grants do not mention stair lifts either way, so a veteran with a qualifying severe service-connected disability should ask the VA directly or call the Grand Traverse County Veterans Affairs Office at (231) 995-6070.
Often, yes. Outdoor stair lifts are built for exposure to weather, and where the steps are irregular a platform lift may be the better fit. It depends on the steps, so it needs an on-site look.
The USDA Section 504 program offers grants up to $10,000 to very-low-income rural homeowners age 62+, plus low-interest loans. Leelanau County falls in the Traverse City area office's territory; call (231) 941-0951.
The Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan at (231) 947-8920. It serves Leelanau County, handles MI Choice Medicaid Waiver enrollment, and can refer you to other programs.
No. Turning or winding stairs need a curved rail made to fit that staircase, which is common in older lake cottages. We measure the stairs first so the rail matches.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
