From Provo and Orem north through Lehi, American Fork and Saratoga Springs, much of Utah County's newer housing sits on the benches and foothills along the Wasatch Front. Homes built into that sloped ground often put a full staircase between the entry level and the main living space. For someone who is aging or has limited mobility, that one flight can decide whether the house still works.
Utah County covers 2,144 square miles and 28 towns, from Alpine and Cedar Hills in the north to Santaquin, Goshen and Elberta in the south. This page walks through how the county's homes and terrain affect the kind of stair lift you would need, and which state, regional and VA programs may help with the cost.
The Wasatch Range rises steeply on the county's east side, topping out at Mount Nebo at 11,928 ft. That steep ground is where much of the multi-level, hillside construction is concentrated. In these homes the garage or front door is often on one level and the kitchen, bedrooms and main bath are a full flight up or down.
Split-level homes are common here too. A split-level can have two or three short runs of stairs instead of one long one, and each run needs its own look. Sometimes a straight stair lift on the main run solves most of the problem; sometimes the layout calls for more than one lift or a different approach.
A straight stair lift fits a single run with no turns or landings in the middle. It is usually the simplest install, and many single-family homes and townhouses in the valley have at least one staircase that qualifies.
Stairs that turn at a landing, wrap around a corner, or change direction need a curved rail built to that staircase. Row houses and townhouses with narrow, turning stairs often fall in this group. When the stairs are outside, such as entry steps on a sloped lot, an outdoor-rated lift is the right tool, and a platform lift can make sense for someone who needs to stay in a wheelchair.
Walk-up apartments are a different case. Because the stairs are usually common space, the building owner has to approve any installation before work can start.
Below the foothills, the valley around Utah Lake sits at 4,487 ft, and much of that level ground was historically farmland. It now holds the bulk of the county's dense, fast-growing suburbs. Level lots do not mean single-story homes, though, and two-story layouts still put bedrooms upstairs.
Utah County skews young. Only 8.1% of the 2020 population was 65 or older, partly because more than 70,000 students commute to Brigham Young University in Provo and Utah Valley University in Orem. Still, 67.4% of the county's 184,558 households are owner-occupied, and many of those owners plan to stay in their homes as they age.
The program most likely to help older residents is the Utah Medicaid Aging Waiver. It lists Environmental Accessibility Adaptations, the category for home modifications, as a covered service, though it does not name stair lifts outright. It is for people 65 and older who meet nursing-facility level of care and Medicaid financial rules, and enrollment is capped, so there can be a waiting list.
Other Medicaid waivers, the Mountainland Department of Aging and Family Services in Orem, and 211 Utah can help you find what is currently funded. If you would rather finance the lift, the Utah Assistive Technology Foundation offers loans from $1,000 to $50,000. Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant does not cover stair glides; a stair lift goes through the VA Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service with a clinician's prescription instead.
The full list of programs is below. In most cases the source does not name stair lifts, so call and ask directly before counting on coverage.
A statewide Medicaid waiver for people 65 and older who meet nursing-facility level of care; it covers Environmental Accessibility Adaptations (home modifications), so ask your case manager to confirm a specific stair lift. Call the Utah Division of Aging and Adult Services at (801) 538-3910.
Helps Medicaid-eligible Utahns move from a nursing facility back home or avoid entering one; the page reviewed does not list stair lifts or home modifications. Confirm covered services with a caseworker at (866) 435-7414.
Serves adults 18 and older with a physician-certified physical disability who need at least 14 hours a week of personal assistance; stair lifts and home modifications are not named among its listed services, and there is a waiting list. Call (866) 435-7414.
The Area Agency on Aging for Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties, located at 586 East 800 North in Orem, serving adults generally 60 and older; its page does not list stair lift help, so call (801) 229-3800 to ask what home-safety or modification help is funded now.
Administers Medicaid waivers for Utahns with qualifying disabilities; the page reviewed does not say whether stair lifts or home modifications are covered. Apply through mySTEPS or call (844) 275-3773.
A low-interest loan of $1,000 to $50,000 with half the interest subsidized up to $2,500, approved on credit with no proof of disability needed; its list names lifts or elevators but not stair lifts by name. Call (435) 797-2025.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities to buy, build or modify a home; stair lifts are not explicitly listed among covered modifications.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026) for home adaptations for veterans with certain service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not explicitly named.
Funds adaptations to a family member's home where an SAH- or SHA-eligible veteran is staying temporarily, up to $50,961 or $9,100 (FY2026); stair lifts are not explicitly named.
Pays for permanent structural changes like ramps, widened doorways and roll-in showers, but explicitly does not cover stair glides. A stair lift is pursued through the VA Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service with a clinician's prescription, or through Aid & Attendance pension funds.
A free, confidential referral line run by the United Ways of Utah that can point Utah County callers to local aging, disability and home-modification resources; it does not list stair lift funding itself. Call (888) 826-9790.
Older adults
586 East 800 North, Orem, 84097
Veterans
550 Foothill Drive, Suite 105, Salt Lake City, 84113
Possibly, through the Utah Medicaid Aging Waiver, which covers Environmental Accessibility Adaptations for people 65 and older who meet nursing-facility level of care and Medicaid financial rules. The program does not name stair lifts specifically, so ask your case manager, and expect a possible waiting list. The Division of Aging and Adult Services number is (801) 538-3910.
The Utah Medicaid Physical Disabilities Waiver serves adults 18 and older, and the Mountainland Area Agency on Aging generally serves people 60 and older. Neither lists stair lifts by name, so call the waiver line at (866) 435-7414 or Mountainland at (801) 229-3800 to ask.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair glides. A veteran can instead seek a stair lift through the VA Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service with a clinician's prescription, or use Aid & Attendance pension funds. The Utah Department of Veterans & Military Affairs is at (801) 326-2372.
Often yes, but each run of stairs has to be measured. One run may take a straight lift while another needs a curved rail, and some layouts are better served by more than one lift.
The Utah Assistive Technology Foundation offers loans from $1,000 to $50,000, with half the interest subsidized up to $2,500 and terms up to 36 months for devices. Approval is credit-based, takes about one to two weeks, and does not require proof of disability. Call (435) 797-2025.
The Mountainland Association of Governments Area Agency on Aging is at 586 East 800 North, Orem, UT 84097. You can reach the office at (801) 229-3804 or the aging services line at (801) 229-3800.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
