Bucks County is one of the three original counties William Penn created in 1682, and you can still see it in the housing. Older boroughs like Doylestown, Bristol and Newtown hold colonial and Federal-era homes of two and three stories, along with farmhouses and rowhouse-style dwellings. Down the river, Levittown adds roughly 17,000 homes built in the early 1950s, most of them multi-level and now more than 70 years old.
That mix means a lot of families here live with an interior staircase between the kitchen and the bedroom. When the stairs start to feel risky, a stair lift is often the simplest way to keep using the whole house. This page covers how the homes in Bensalem, Warminster, Quakertown, Perkasie and the other towns across the county affect the choice of lift, and where to look for help paying for one.
In the historic boroughs, staircases in colonial and Federal-era homes are often narrow, steep or turning, and many of these houses have a third floor. A turn or landing usually calls for a curved lift, which runs on a rail built to the shape of your stairs. A three-story home may need a lift on each flight.
Row houses and townhouses, common in places like Bristol and Morrisville, tend to have one long, straight flight against a shared wall. That layout usually suits a straight stair lift, which is quicker to install and simpler to fit. We still measure the width carefully, because older rowhouse-style stairs can be tight.
Levittown grew to nearly 74,000 residents, and its multi-level single-family houses are now 70+ years old. Many owners have lived in them for decades and want to stay. The stairs in these homes are usually short and direct, which often works well for a straight lift.
Split-level homes, found across Levittown, Fairless Hills, Lower Southampton and other mid-century neighborhoods, have several short flights instead of one long one. Each half-flight may need its own lift, or a curved rail may link them. The right answer depends on how often the person needs each level, so we look at daily routines along with the stairs themselves.
The southern third of the county sits on the flat Atlantic Coastal Plain along the Delaware River, near sea level, around Levittown and Bristol. Further north, around Doylestown, Buckingham, Plumstead and Bedminster, the land rises into wooded hills and preserved farmland. Farmhouses and homes on rolling lots often have entry steps or porch stairs as well as inside stairs.
For outside steps, an outdoor-rated stair lift is built to handle weather. Where someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the option to discuss. We check both the inside and outside stairs on a visit so nothing gets missed.
About 19.3% of Bucks County residents are 65 or older, and 79.1% of households own their homes. Owners can usually install a lift without asking a landlord, and several county repair programs below are limited to homeowners.
If a veteran in your family has a service-connected disability, the VA grants listed below are worth checking first, and the Bucks County Department of Veterans Affairs at 7321 New Falls Road in Levittown, (215) 345-3886, can help with the paperwork.
Two programs below name stair lifts directly: Community HealthChoices (CHC) for Medicaid enrollees who meet a nursing-facility level of care, and the VA Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities. Both decide amounts case by case or within set grant limits.
For homeowners with lower or moderate incomes, the county's two housing repair programs cover accessibility work. Their sources do not mention stair lifts by name, so ask directly whether a lift qualifies before you apply. The Bucks County AAA at 30 E. Oakland Ave., Doylestown, (215) 348-0510, is a good first call if you are not sure where you fit. Statewide, the PA Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) is another resource to ask about.
A Medicaid waiver for Pennsylvania residents 21 and older who meet a nursing-facility level of care or are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid; it covers stair lifts, ramps, grab bars and other modifications case by case through Keystone First CHC, PA Health & Wellness or UPMC Community HealthChoices. Call (877) 550-4227.
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and older with a severe developmental physical disability that began before age 22; environmental adaptations and assistive technology are covered, but the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call (866) 550-4355.
In-home care management and personal-care aide help for residents 60 and older who are not eligible for Medical Assistance long-term services, with a cost-share based on income; it does not fund home modifications and does not list stair lifts. Call (267) 880-5700.
Up to $50,000 per qualifying household (half grant, half deferred no-interest loan), or up to $15,000 as a grant for mobile-home owners, for health, safety and accessibility repairs such as ramps and grab bars; stair lifts are not listed. Homeowners must have household income at or below 80% of Area Median Income.
A zero-interest loan of up to $15,000 for low-to-moderate income owner-occupied homes, repaid only when the home is sold, refinanced or transferred, and it covers accessibility modifications for a permanent disability, though stair lifts are not named. Call (215) 781-8711.
Free advocacy, independent living skills and transition support for anyone in Bucks County who self-discloses a disability; it does not fund or install stair lifts. Call (215) 781-5070.
Federal grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH or $25,350 for SHA in FY2026, and they can pay for interior lifts and stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
30 E. Oakland Ave., Doylestown, 18901
Veterans
7321 New Falls Road, Levittown, 19055
Usually, yes. Colonial and Federal-era stairs are often narrow or turning, so a curved lift with a custom rail is common in these homes, and three-story houses may need a lift on more than one flight.
Multi-level and split-level homes may need a lift on each short flight or a curved rail that connects them. We look at which levels the person uses every day before recommending one or the other.
Through the Community HealthChoices (CHC) waiver, stair lifts are a covered home adaptation for enrolled residents 21 and older who meet a nursing-facility level of care. Approval is case by case; call (877) 550-4227.
The OPTIONS program serves people 60 and older who are not eligible for Medical Assistance long-term services, but it pays for care management and aide services, not home modifications. Homeowners with qualifying incomes can ask the Bucks County Home Repair Program or the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County whether a lift counts as an accessibility repair.
The Bucks County Department of Veterans Affairs in Levittown, (215) 345-3886, can help with VA claims. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities can apply for SAH or SHA grants, which cover stair lifts, by calling (800) 827-1000.
Yes, outdoor-rated lifts are made for exterior steps. If the person cannot move from a wheelchair to a seat, a platform lift is the option to look at instead.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
