Fulton County runs about 80 miles along the Chattahoochee River, from the hillier ground around Milton, Alpharetta and Roswell down to the flatter land around Fairburn, Palmetto and Chattahoochee Hills. In between sit Atlanta's old streetcar suburbs, where Craftsman bungalows, Victorian houses in Inman Park and eclectic early-20th-century homes in Old Fourth Ward still line the streets.
Many of those houses were built with interior staircases and raised front porches reached by exterior steps. If a parent has started to dread either set of stairs, a stair lift is often the simplest way to keep them living on every floor of the home they already know. This page covers what the homes here usually need and where Fulton County residents can look for help paying.
Atlanta's historic streetcar suburbs went up roughly from the 1890s to the 1930s, and Craftsman bungalow single-family homes dominate the city's low- and medium-density neighborhoods. Those homes were often built on more than one level, with a staircase inside and steps up to the porch outside.
Older staircases tend to be narrower and sometimes turn at a landing. A straight staircase with no turns usually takes a straight rail, which is the quickest install. A stair that bends, as you may find in a Victorian in Inman Park, needs a curved rail made to fit that exact staircase, so we measure before quoting anything.
Fulton County covers about 534 square miles of Georgia's Piedmont, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. That terrain shows up in the houses: split-level lots, raised foundations and multi-story homes with exterior entry steps are common, especially toward the northern end of the county.
A split-level home often has short flights of stairs between levels, and each flight may need its own lift. Raised foundations mean steps up from the driveway or yard, which is where an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift comes in. Homes in the flatter south may have fewer exterior steps, but many still have a second story or a raised porch.
The housing here ranges from single-family homes, detached houses and split-level homes to townhouses, row houses and walk-up apartments. Townhouses and row houses usually stack living space over two or three floors, so the lift has to run along a narrow inside staircase. Walk-up apartments raise a separate question, since the stairs may be shared and the owner of the building has a say.
Here is the short version. Straight stairs take a straight lift. Stairs with a turn or landing take a curved lift. Porch and entry steps need an outdoor model built for weather. If the person uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is usually the better fit.
About 12.3% of Fulton County residents are 65 or older, and 55.8% of households own their home. For an owner who has lived in a multi-story house for decades, a stair lift is usually far less disruptive than moving or adding a first-floor bedroom.
Veterans should know that some VA housing benefits do not pay for stair lifts, so it is worth checking the details below before counting on them.
A few programs here explicitly list home modifications. For residents 60 and older, the Georgia Home & Community Based Services Program offers Home Modification and Repair, with screening done through the Atlanta Regional Commission Area Agency on Aging (Empowerline). Adults 21 to 64 on Georgia Medicaid with severe physical disabilities may qualify for home modifications through the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP). disABILITY LINK also lists Housing & Home Modification among its services.
Other programs are worth a call but do not mention stair lifts on their pages, including the county's Senior Home Repair Program and the VA SAH and SHA grants. The VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. Statewide, the Home Access Program and the Credit-Able Loan Program are also listed as resources. For an in-person start, the Atlanta Regional Commission AAA is at 229 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 100, Atlanta 30303, phone (404) 463-3100. Veterans can reach the Georgia Department of Veterans Service at 205 Jesse Hill, Jr. Drive Suite 460, Atlanta 30334, phone (404) 656-5940.
A non-Medicaid state program for Georgia residents age 60 and older that lists Home Modification and Repair as an in-home service; no dollar cap is stated. Call (866) 552-4464, and Fulton County residents are screened through the Atlanta Regional Commission Area Agency on Aging (Empowerline).
A Georgia Medicaid waiver for adults 21 to 64 with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury that includes home modifications and specialized medical equipment. Call (800) 982-0411.
Medicaid waivers for frail elderly and disabled Georgians who meet a nursing-facility level of care, covering services like personal care, adult daycare and home-delivered meals; home modifications are not listed. Entry is through Georgia's Aging and Disability Resource Connection at (866) 552-4464.
A VA benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for home accessibility work with a VA physician's prescription, but it explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
A grant of up to $126,526 for FY 2026 to buy, build or modify a home for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities, with a TRA version up to $50,961 for a family member's home. Stair lifts are not named among covered modifications.
A grant of up to $25,350 for FY 2026 for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands, with a TRA version up to $9,100. Stair lifts are not named among covered modifications.
A nonprofit serving people with disabilities in the Atlanta and Fulton County area that lists Housing & Home Modification among its programs; no dollar amount is given. Call (404) 687-8890 to ask whether a stair lift can be funded right now.
A county home repair program for Fulton County senior homeowners; the county pages do not state eligibility limits, amounts or whether accessibility work like stair lifts is included. Call (404) 613-7944 to confirm current scope.
An information and referral service for older adults and caregivers in a 10-county area that includes Fulton, with Home Modifications and Repair as a resource category; it connects people to providers rather than paying for equipment. Call (404) 463-3333.
Older adults
229 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 100, Atlanta, 30303
Veterans
205 Jesse Hill, Jr. Drive Suite 460, Atlanta, 30334
Possibly. The Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) covers home modifications for Georgia Medicaid-eligible adults 21 to 64 with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury. disABILITY LINK also lists home modification help for people with disabilities in the Fulton County area, at (404) 687-8890.
The HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides, so it will not. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts, so a veteran should ask directly; the Georgia Department of Veterans Service is at (404) 656-5940.
Call Empowerline at (404) 463-3333 or the Georgia Home & Community Based Services line at (866) 552-4464. Fulton County residents are screened through the Atlanta Regional Commission Area Agency on Aging, which can point you to the Home Modification and Repair service.
Yes, with an outdoor model built for weather. Many older intown homes and houses on raised foundations in the hillier parts of the county have exterior entry steps, and those need a separate lift from the one inside.
No. A staircase with a turn or landing takes a curved rail built to match it, which is why we measure the stairs in person before giving a quote.
Their listed services are case management, adult daycare, alternative living services, personal care, home-delivered meals and respite care. Home modifications are not mentioned, unlike the ICWP waiver.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
