From the Palisades bluffs above Fort Lee and Edgewater to the split-levels of Fair Lawn, Wyckoff and Mahwah, Bergen County's 70 towns hold a wide mix of staircases. A prewar Colonial in Cliffside Park, a stone farmhouse in an old township core and a 1950s bi-level in Paramus each call for a different kind of lift.
This page walks through what the county's homes and hills mean for a stair lift, and where Bergen County residents can look for help with the cost. If you are weighing a lift for yourself or a parent in Hackensack, Teaneck, Ridgewood or any other Bergen town, start here before you call anyone.
Postwar building in the 1950s and 60s filled central and northern Bergen with split-level and bi-level ranch homes. Many of them have a mid-level front entry with one short flight going up and another going down.
That layout is harder than a single straight staircase. Short mid-flights and landings often mean either a custom curved rail that follows the turn or two separate straight lifts, one for each flight.
Before anyone quotes a price, the installer should measure each flight and landing in person. In a split-level, the right answer depends on which floors the person actually needs to reach every day.
Near the Hudson, towns like Fort Lee and Cliffside Park have dense blocks of prewar Colonial and Tudor Revival homes. Older township cores elsewhere in the county still have early Dutch stone farmhouses.
These older houses do not follow one pattern. Some have a single straight run where a standard straight lift fits well, while others have turns that call for a curved rail. An in-home measurement settles which one you have.
Bergen County is hilly Piedmont country, low near the Hudson and rising toward the northwest, with the Palisades cliffs rising roughly 300-540 ft along the eastern edge. On sloped lots, the trouble is often the exterior steps up to the front door, not the inside stairs.
January temperatures here average around 16-32 degrees F, with regular freeze-thaw cycles. For porch and exterior stairs, installers in the county favor freeze-rated equipment and weatherproofing so the lift keeps working through the winter.
Townhouses, low-rise buildings and walk-up apartments are also common here. In a shared building, ask the owner or association about the common stairs before planning a lift there.
About 17.8% of Bergen County residents are 65 or older, and 66.6% of households own their homes. For many of those owners, the house is worth a lot: the median home value is approximately $623,000.
Moving has its own costs. A local Bergen County move typically runs from about $350 for labor-only help to $1,450+ for a medium-sized full-service move, before buying or renting the next place. A lift can let someone keep a home they already own.
The county runs two programs worth calling about. The Bergen County Modification Access Project (MAP) offers grants up to $1,800 for elderly or disabled residents, and the Bergen County Home Improvement Program (HIP) offers interest-free loans to low-to-moderate income owner-occupants, though its published list does not name stair lifts.
The Bergen County Division of Senior Services, at One Bergen County Plaza, 2nd Floor, Hackensack, can be reached at (201) 336-7474. Statewide options include Jersey Assistance for Community Caregiving (JACC) and NJ Medicaid MLTSS.
The Bergen County Division of Veterans Services, in the same building, is at (201) 336-6325. VA care nearby includes the Hackensack VA Clinic, the Paterson VA Clinic and the East Orange VA Medical Center (VA New Jersey Health Care System, parent facility).
A county grant of up to $1,800 for elderly or disabled Bergen County residents that covers stair lifts along with ramps, railings and wheelchair lifts. Call (201) 996-9100 to apply.
An interest-free county loan of up to $17,500 for a one-family home or condo and up to $25,000 for a two-family home, with no monthly payment; it is repaid when the home is sold or title transfers. Stair lifts are not named on its eligible-work list, so confirm with the program at (201) 336-6999 before counting on it.
A statewide New Jersey program; our source does not say whether it covers stair lifts. Ask the Bergen County Division of Senior Services at (201) 336-7474 whether it fits your situation.
New Jersey's Medicaid managed long-term services and supports program; our source does not say whether it covers stair lifts. The Bergen County Division of Senior Services at (201) 336-7474 can point you to the right contact.
VA benefits for veterans that include HISA and Prosthetics; our source does not detail stair lift coverage. Start with the Bergen County Division of Veterans Services at (201) 336-6325.
Older adults
One Bergen County Plaza, 2nd Floor, Hackensack, 07601
Veterans
One Bergen County Plaza, 2nd Floor, Hackensack, 07601
Yes. MAP offers grants up to $1,800 to elderly or disabled Bergen County residents and covers stair lifts, ramps, railings and wheelchair lifts. Call (201) 996-9100.
Possibly, but it is not confirmed. HIP's published list covers items like heating, plumbing, steps and 'other home improvements' without naming stair lifts, so call (201) 336-6999 to ask before you plan around it.
Usually, but these homes need careful planning. The mid-level entry with short flights up and down often means a curved rail or two straight lifts, which an in-home measurement will sort out.
With the right equipment, yes. Because January averages around 16-32 degrees F with freeze-thaw cycles, installers here favor freeze-rated lifts and weatherproofing for porch and exterior steps.
Call the Bergen County Division of Veterans Services at (201) 336-6325, at One Bergen County Plaza, 2nd Floor, Hackensack. They can help with VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics) and connect you with the Hackensack VA Clinic.
The Bergen County Division of Senior Services at (201) 336-7474 is the main county office for older residents. It is located at One Bergen County Plaza, 2nd Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
