From Jackson and South Park to Wilson, Teton Village, Alta and Kelly, a lot of Teton County homes were built big and custom, with more than one floor and a staircase at the center of daily life. That works fine until the stairs start to feel longer than they used to.
A stair lift lets someone keep living on every level of the house without a major remodel. This page walks through how local homes and mountain winters affect the choice of lift, and which programs may or may not help pay for one.
Much of the housing here leans toward large, custom-built single-family homes, many with multi-level layouts. The median home price reached $1,060,093 at one recent count, and that money often went into open staircases, landings and turns that look great but are harder to climb with age.
A straight staircase with no landing is the simplest job, and a straight rail usually fits it. Stairs that turn, wrap around a landing or curve need a custom-bent curved rail measured to that exact staircase.
Split-level homes and ranch-style homes are common too. A split-level may have two or three short runs of stairs, which can mean more than one lift. A ranch-style home may only need help at a few entry steps or a stair down to a basement.
Teton County covers 4,216 square miles of the Teton Range and Jackson Hole valley, and about 40% of Yellowstone National Park sits inside it. High elevation and severe winters make exterior steps and sloped driveways a real fall risk for much of the year.
If the hard part is getting from the car or the driveway to the front door, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure may be the better fit. Where a wheelchair is involved, a platform lift that carries the chair is worth discussing instead of a seat lift.
Townhouses often have narrow, steep stairs between floors, so we check the stair width and the clearance at the top and bottom before recommending a rail. Walk-up apartments usually need the building owner's permission before anything is attached to the stairs.
About 60.4% of households in the county own their home. If you rent, plan on a conversation with your landlord first, and note that one VA program below asks for notarized owner authorization when the applicant rents.
Those two groups overlap, which is why VA benefits come up so often in our conversations here.
The county is also one of the wealthiest in the country, but a high cost of living can make home changes harder for longtime residents who are not affluent. It pays to check every program before paying fully out of pocket.
For veterans, the two VA programs listed below are the main ones to understand, and they treat stair lifts differently. One rules them out, and the other does not mention them either way.
Statewide, you may also hear about the Wyoming Community Choices Waiver (CCW), the Wyoming Technology Access Program (WyTAP), the Wyoming Home Services Program (WyHS) and the Wyoming Property Tax Refund Program. Call the Aging Division at (307) 777-7986 to ask which of these apply to your situation.
Veterans can reach the Veteran Service Officers for Fremont & Teton Counties at (307) 438-2101. Their office is at 324 E Washington Avenue in Riverton.
A lifetime VA grant for medically necessary fixed alterations, up to $6,800 for service-connected disabilities and $2,000 for other eligible ones. The VA states that stair glides are not covered, so do not apply for a stair lift under this grant; call the Veteran Service Officers at (307) 438-2101 for other options.
VA grants for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities to build, buy or adapt a home, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026. The VA source does not list stair lifts by name, so ask the Veteran Service Officers at (307) 438-2101 whether one could be part of an approved project.
Older adults
6101 Yellowstone Road, Suite 259B, Cheyenne, 82002
Veterans
324 E Washington Avenue, Riverton, 82501
No. The VA says removable equipment such as stair glides is not covered under HISA. It funds fixed changes like roll-in showers, widened doorways and permanent ramps.
The VA source does not mention stair lifts either way. These grants fund structural adaptations for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities, so call the Veteran Service Officers at (307) 438-2101 to ask about your case.
Yes, most turning staircases can take a curved rail. It is custom-made from measurements of your stairs, so it takes longer than a straight rail.
An outdoor stair lift is built for exterior steps and weather. With winters this severe, we look at the entry steps and driveway slope as part of the visit.
Start with the Aging Division in Cheyenne at (307) 777-7986. They can tell you whether programs such as the Wyoming Community Choices Waiver (CCW) or the Wyoming Home Services Program (WyHS) fit your parent's needs.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
