Woodland alone has more than 400 historic houses and buildings cataloged in the 'Explore Historic Woodland' survey, from Victorian and Craftsman homes to Bungalow, Tudor and Dutch Colonial styles. Many of them are two-story houses that still have their original narrow staircases. Add the newer tract neighborhoods in Davis, West Sacramento and Woodland, where single- and two-story homes sit side by side, and you get a county where the stairs inside the house are often the hardest part of staying put.
We install stair lifts across all 14 communities in Yolo County, from Winters and Esparto to Knights Landing, Clarksburg, El Macero and Dunnigan. This page covers what local homes usually need, how the valley floor and the western uplands affect the choice of lift, and which programs may help cover the cost.
The 1885 Gable Mansion in Woodland is a California Historical Landmark, and the downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The homes around it were built long before anyone planned for a stair lift. Original staircases in these houses tend to be narrow, so the first thing we check is the clear width of the stairs and the landings.
On a narrow stair, a lift with a slim rail and a seat and footrest that fold up leaves room for others to walk past. The rail mounts to the stair treads rather than the wall, which matters in an older home where you want to protect original plaster and trim. If the staircase turns or has a landing partway up, a custom curved rail is built to follow it.
Most of Yolo County sits on the flat Sacramento Valley floor, with Delta lowland along the Sacramento River around Clarksburg and West Sacramento. Homes there are usually on level lots. That means the barrier for most older residents is the interior staircase in a two-story house, not steps outside.
The western third of the county is different. It rises into rolling terraces, the Capay Valley and the Coast Range uplands, reaching about 3,123 ft at its highest point. Homes on sloped ground in that part of the county are more likely to have exterior steps, where an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure can be the better fit.
Housing in the county also includes townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings. A townhouse with a straight interior staircase is often a simple install with a standard straight rail. In a walk-up apartment, a stair lift on shared stairs needs the building owner's approval first, so start that conversation early.
The newer suburban homes in Davis, West Sacramento and Woodland usually have straight, standard-width stairs. Those are the quickest and least complicated installs we do, and the lift can often be in place within a single visit once it arrives.
About 13.5% of Yolo County's 208,005 residents are 65 or older. That share is held down by the large student population at the University of California-Davis, but older adults are concentrated among longtime family homeowners in Woodland, Davis, West Sacramento and Winters.
Owning the home makes it easier to add a stair lift, and veterans may have access to the VA grants described below.
The Medi-Cal HCBA Waiver lists stair lifts as a covered home adaptation for people who qualify, and the VA SAH and SHA grants can cover them for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities. Other programs below help with repairs, referrals or in-home care but do not list stair lifts.
Statewide, you can also ask about VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) and the FreedomTech Low-Interest Assistive Technology Loan. The Area 4 Agency on Aging in Sacramento can be reached at (916) 486-1876, and the Yolo County Veterans Service Office at 137 N. Cottonwood Street in Woodland can be reached at (530) 406-4850.
A statewide Medi-Cal waiver whose Environmental Accessibility Adaptations benefit covers stair lifts for members who need a nursing facility level of care and have medical necessity documented in their Plan of Treatment. Enrollment slots are limited and a waitlist may apply.
A low-interest loan for low-to-moderate income homeowners in Yolo County to fix health or safety issues in the home; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (530) 662-5428 to ask whether your project qualifies.
An information and referral hub for adults 60 and older, adults with disabilities and caregivers, offering help with CalFresh, fall-prevention education, the Key Connections co-living program and the long-term care ombudsman. It does not install stair lifts; call (800) 211-4545.
Volunteers provide free labor for minor repairs such as grab bars, door locks and small plumbing jobs for seniors in the Davis and Woodland areas, and the client usually supplies materials. Stair lifts are not covered; call (530) 661-2000.
Federal grants for veterans with qualifying permanent service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026, and stair lifts are covered as part of an approved home-adaptation plan. Apply with VA Form 26-4555 or call (800) 827-1000.
A Medi-Cal program that pays for caregiver and personal-care hours for eligible aged, blind or disabled residents; it does not fund stair lifts or other home modifications. Call (888) 965-6647.
Older adults
2260 Park Towne Circle, Suite 100, Sacramento, 95825
Veterans
137 N. Cottonwood Street, Woodland, 95695
Often, yes. Many of Woodland's older two-story homes still have their original narrow stairs, and a slim rail with a folding seat and footrest is made for that. We measure the stair width and landings during the home visit before recommending a model.
The Medi-Cal HCBA Waiver lists stair lifts as a covered home adaptation. You must be Medi-Cal eligible, need a nursing facility level of care, and have medical necessity documented in your Plan of Treatment. Slots are limited, so a waitlist may apply.
Yes. The Aging & Disability Resource Connection serves adults 60 and older in Yolo County and their caregivers at (800) 211-4545. It does not install stair lifts, but it can point you to programs and services.
The Yolo County Veterans Service Office is at 137 N. Cottonwood Street in Woodland, phone (530) 406-4850. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities may be eligible for VA SAH or SHA grants, which can cover a stair lift as part of an approved plan.
No. IHSS pays for caregiver and personal-care hours for eligible residents. It does not fund equipment or home modifications such as stair lifts.
Usually not. Most homes on the flat eastern part of the county sit on level lots, so the need is typically an indoor lift for a two-story house. Homes on sloped ground in the western uplands are more likely to need one for exterior steps.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
