From the older wood-frame houses around Marysville to newer neighborhoods in Plumas Lake and the foothill homes out toward Loma Rica, Dobbins and Challenge-Brownsville, Yuba County has a wide mix of houses. What many of them share is steps. The county's flood history means a lot of older homes sit on raised foundations, so even a one-story house can start with a climb at the front door.
We install stair lifts across all 9 communities in the county, including Linda, Olivehurst, Wheatland and Beale AFB. This page walks through how local homes affect the type of lift you need and which programs may help pay for it, so you can sort out the options before anyone climbs a ladder to measure.
Marysville sits where the Yuba and Feather rivers meet, and it was ringed by dikes built after 1875. The December 1955 flood, when the Feather River broke through a levee south of Marysville and 74 people died, pushed the region toward dams, levees and elevated homes.
That history is still visible today. Raised foundations put a run of entry steps between the driveway and the living room. For someone with weak knees or balance problems, those outside steps are often the first barrier, before the stairs inside ever come into play.
For a straight run of entry steps, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure is one option. If the person uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat, and we look at both during the home visit.
Marysville was founded on January 18, 1850, during the Gold Rush, and it still has 19th-century masonry commercial buildings and older wood-frame housing. The 1854 Forbes House is the oldest surviving structure. Older homes like these often have narrow or steep staircases, landings, or turns that call for a curved stair lift built to the exact shape of the stairs.
Across the county you will also find single-family homes, townhouses, split-level homes, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings. A townhouse with one straight flight is usually the simplest install. Split-level homes can be trickier because they have several short flights, and we will talk through which levels matter most for daily living.
In walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, the stairs may be shared, so the building owner usually has to sign off before anything is mounted. It helps to ask that question early.
The eastern part of the county rises into the Sierra Nevada foothills. Homes on sloped lots in places like Dobbins and Loma Rica may have a lower level, a deck, or garden steps that are hard to manage with age.
Yuba County has a population of 72,051, with 11.5 percent of residents age 65 or older and 61.3 percent of households owning their homes. Many long-time owners in this agricultural county plan to stay put in older houses. A stair lift is often one piece of that plan, along with grab bars, ramps and other changes.
That makes VA housing grants worth a close look for families here.
The Yuba-Sutter County Veterans Service Office at 5730 Packard Avenue, Suite 300, in Marysville can help with VA paperwork. You can reach them at (530) 749-6710.
The clearest public funding source is Medi-Cal's CalAIM Community Supports benefit for home modifications, which lists stair lifts by name and has a $7,500 lifetime maximum per member. It depends on your Medi-Cal managed-care plan offering it, so the first call is to the plan or to Medi-Cal at (800) 541-5555.
Other programs fund home repairs or modifications without naming stair lifts, so coverage has to be asked about case by case. These include the Area 4 Agency on Aging, the FREED Center for Independent Living, the county's CDBG Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation program, and the VA SAH and SHA grants. Statewide, families can also ask about the Medi-Cal Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver, VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), and the FreedomTech Low-Interest Assistive Technology Loan.
Some programs do not help with equipment at all. IHSS pays for caregiver hours only, and the Assisted Living Waiver does not operate in Yuba County. The program list below spells out each one.
An optional Medi-Cal managed-care benefit that explicitly lists stair lifts as a covered adaptation, with a $7,500 lifetime maximum per member, for members at risk of hospitalization or nursing facility placement with a documented chronic condition. Ask your Medi-Cal plan whether it offers this benefit, or call (800) 541-5555.
A Medi-Cal waiver for people who need nursing-home level care but choose assisted living; its listing does not mention stair lifts, and the 2024-2029 waiver term does not include Yuba County, so a resident could only use it by moving to a participating county. Questions go to (800) 541-5555.
A Medi-Cal personal-care program for aged, blind or disabled people who need help to stay safely at home. It does not fund stair lifts or home modifications, only caregiver hours; call (800) 541-5555.
A Medi-Cal care-management program for people 65+ who qualify for nursing-facility level care but can stay home with support; it may allow limited funds for certain home upgrades through a care plan, though stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (800) 541-5555.
The regional agency on aging funds partner nonprofits for in-home modifications such as wheelchair ramps and shower rails for adults generally 60+, with Yuba County services delivered through FREED Center for Independent Living; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Call (916) 486-1876.
A low or no cost, typically volunteer-assisted program for minor health and safety repairs and modifications, run by an independent living center whose service area includes Yuba County; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (530) 742-4474 to ask about eligibility.
Offers up to $80,000 to low-income homeowners in the unincorporated areas of Yuba County for urgent health, safety and code repairs, as a five-year forgivable loan that becomes a grant if the owner stays in the home. Stair lifts are not specifically listed, and work is delivered by Habitat for Humanity.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026, usable up to 6 times; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Apply with VA Form 26-4555 or call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
2260 Park Towne Circle, Suite 100, Sacramento, 95825
Veterans
5730 Packard Avenue, Suite 300, Marysville, 95901
It can. The CalAIM Community Supports home modification benefit lists stair lifts as covered, up to a $7,500 lifetime maximum, but only if your managed-care plan offers it and a physician, NP or PA documents the medical need. Call your plan or (800) 541-5555 to ask.
No. IHSS pays for caregiver hours only and does not fund stair lifts or home modifications.
Not while living in Yuba County. The 2024-2029 waiver term runs in 15 other counties, so a resident could only use it by relocating to one of them.
Often, yes. Outdoor stair lifts are built for entry steps, and a platform lift is an option for wheelchair users. We look at the steps, the landing and the path to the door during the home visit.
The Area 4 Agency on Aging funds home modifications for adults generally 60+ through partner nonprofits, with Yuba County services delivered by FREED Center for Independent Living. Stair lifts are not specifically listed, so call (916) 486-1876 or FREED at (530) 742-4474 to ask.
The Yuba-Sutter County Veterans Service Office in Marysville can help with SAH and SHA applications. Call them at (530) 749-6710, or reach the VA directly at (800) 827-1000.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
