Currituck County is really two places split by water. On the mainland you have Moyock, Grandy and Coinjock, mostly rural, with single-family homes, split-level homes and detached houses on country lots. Across the Currituck Sound sit Corolla and Carova on the Outer Banks, where large multi-story vacation rental homes are common and no bridge connects back to the mainland.
That split matters when you are thinking about a stair lift. A modest mainland house with one straight flight is a very different job from a tall beach house with several landings. This page walks through what each kind of home usually needs and which programs may help with the cost.
Most mainland homes are single-family homes or detached houses, and many have a single straight staircase. A straight stair lift is usually the simplest fit for these. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so the house itself is left largely as it is.
Split-level homes are a little different. They often have short flights of a few steps between levels, and the person may need to get past more than one of them. Sometimes that means more than one lift, or a curved rail if the flights connect around a turn. We look at how you actually move through the house before suggesting anything.
The vacation homes on the Outer Banks section of the county tend to be large and multi-story. Staircases there often turn at landings, which usually calls for a curved stair lift built to the shape of that specific stair. Exterior stairs leading up to the main living floor may call for an outdoor lift or a platform lift instead.
Because the Currituck Sound separates this area from the mainland with no bridge, plan ahead for scheduling a visit. Measure twice, as they say: a curved rail is made to fit, so the first visit is about getting accurate measurements of every step and landing.
Townhouses and walk-up apartments show up in the county too. A townhouse often has a narrow straight stair, which a straight lift with a folding seat and footrest can handle. Walk-up apartments raise a different question, since shared stairways usually need the building owner's approval before anything is installed.
As of the 2020 Census, 17.8% of Currituck County residents were age 65 or older, and the county is 95.9% rural. In the same count, 83.9% of housing units were owner-occupied. For homeowners, that means the decision about a stair lift is usually yours to make, without a landlord in the middle.
If that includes you or your parent, the VA programs listed below are worth a call, though one of them specifically excludes stair glides.
No program below names stair lifts directly, and the VA HISA grant excludes them outright. Several programs do fund broader categories such as accessibility modifications, mobility and accessibility improvements, or handicap modifications. Ask each office whether a stair lift fits under that category for your situation.
For people 60 and older, the Region R - Albemarle Commission AAA at 512 S. Church St., Hertford, NC 27944, phone (252) 426-5753, is a good first call. Veterans can reach the Currituck County Veteran Services Officer at 153 Courthouse Road, Suite 211, Currituck, NC 27929, phone (252) 435-4593.
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and older who need a nursing facility level of care but want to stay at home; it includes an equipment, modification and technology service category, though stair lifts are not named. Call (888) 245-0179.
Helps Medicaid-eligible people moving from a nursing facility or qualifying hospital back home with one-time transition expenses, which include accessibility modifications; stair lifts are not named specifically. Call (888) 245-0179.
A VA grant for medically necessary home improvements, with a lifetime maximum of $6,800 or $2,000 depending on disability status. It does not cover stair lifts, as the VA excludes stair glides and porch lifts; apply through your local VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service.
For veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 (FY2026) to buy, build or remodel a permanent home, with a Temporary Residence Adaptation option up to $50,961. Stair lifts are not named on the source.
For veterans with certain service-connected disabilities, up to $25,350 (FY2026) to adapt a home they or a qualifying family member own or will own, with a Temporary Residence Adaptation option up to $9,100. Stair lifts are not named on the source.
For people 60 or older with no family or friends able to do the work, covering services that include mobility and accessibility improvements, up to $7,000 per person per program year; stair lifts are not named and availability depends on county funding that year. Call (800) 662-7030.
Funds accessibility modifications and other repairs that remove imminent threats to life or safety for very-low- and low-income households with special needs, including frail elderly, disabled and veteran households in Currituck County; stair lifts are not named. Applications for URP 2027 open October 1, 2026; call (252) 426-5753.
Up to $40,000 in repairs, including handicap modifications, for owner-occupied homes in Camden, Currituck or Pasquotank County with an elderly, disabled or veteran member and income below 80% of area median; stair lifts are not named. Pre-applications run the 1st to the 15th of each month, so confirm the current cycle at (252) 426-5753.
Older adults
512 S. Church St., Hertford, 27944
Veterans
153 Courthouse Road, Suite 211, Currituck, 27929
No. The VA excludes removable equipment such as portable ramps, porch lifts and stair glides from HISA. Veterans can still ask the Currituck County Veteran Services Officer at (252) 435-4593 about the SAH and SHA grants, which do not name stair lifts either way.
The NC DHHS Housing and Home Improvement Assistance program serves people 60 and older and can cover mobility and accessibility improvements up to $7,000 per person per program year, if the service is funded in the county that year. Call (800) 662-7030 or the Albemarle Commission AAA at (252) 426-5753.
The CAP/DA waiver includes an equipment, modification and technology category, but the program does not name stair lifts. Eligibility requires needing a nursing facility level of care. Call (888) 245-0179 to ask.
Often, yes. Split-level homes have short flights between levels, so the answer depends on how many flights you need to use and whether they connect around a turn. That can mean a straight lift, more than one lift, or a curved rail.
Multi-story homes on the Outer Banks often have stairs that turn at landings, which usually points to a curved lift built to measure. Outside stairs up to the main floor may suit an outdoor lift or a platform lift.
The Albemarle Commission runs the Urgent Repair Program and the Essential Single-Family Rehabilitation Program, both open to Currituck County. Both are reached at (252) 426-5753.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
