Otter Tail County holds 1,048 lakes, more than any other county in the United States, and a lot of its houses sit on sloping shoreline lots. From Perham and Battle Lake to Pelican Rapids and Vergas, walkout and split-level lake homes often put the main living floor a full flight above the entry. In Fergus Falls, the older Victorian frame houses keep bedrooms and baths upstairs, reached by steep, narrow stairs.
We install stair lifts in all 14 towns in the county, from Fergus Falls out to Dent, Deer Creek and Bluffton. This page covers how local homes affect the type of lift you need, what the rural distances mean for service, and which programs may help with the cost.
The county's oldest housing is concentrated in Fergus Falls. National Register listings there include the C.C. Clement House (1882, Stick style), the John W. Mason House (c. 1881) and the C.J. Wright House (1881-82), the multi-story Victorian frame homes of the county seat's first neighborhoods.
Homes from that era put sleeping rooms and bathrooms on upper floors. Owners who want to stay often add a stair lift rather than try to move a bedroom downstairs. A straight staircase usually takes a straight rail, while a stair with a turn or landing needs a curved rail built to fit it.
The county has 30 National Register properties in all, from the 1902 miller's house at Phelps Mill near Underwood to the 1921-22 Beaux-Arts courthouse in Fergus Falls. Much of the local building stock predates any accessibility code, so we measure each staircase before recommending a lift.
Around the lakes, the common problem is not an old stair but a tall one. A walkout or split-level home on a sloping lot can leave the kitchen and bedrooms a full flight above the door you use every day.
Split-level homes often have short runs between levels, and some households need a lift on more than one run. Where the climb starts outside, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift may fit better than an indoor model. Townhouses and manufactured homes come with their own layouts, and we look at each one on site.
Many of the calls we get come from adult children checking on a parent who still lives in the family house or the lake place.
The county covers 2,224 square miles, and 77.9 percent of residents live in rural areas. Interstate 94 and U.S. Routes 10, 52 and 59 keep most towns within reach, but trips between Fergus Falls and outlying lake townships can run long. Ask about scheduling and service visits when you call.
No program below names stair lifts outright, and one VA grant excludes them. Still, several fund accessibility work in general, so it is worth asking before you buy.
Low-income homeowners can look at the Otter Tail County / Fergus Falls HRA loan programs, which offer deferred loans up to $37,500 for accessibility and safety work. Veterans should start with the Otter Tail County Veterans Service Office at (218) 998-8605. For local referrals on disability services, the Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living has a Fergus Falls office.
Statewide programs to ask about include the Elderly Waiver (EW), the Alternative Care (AC) Program, the Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) Waiver and the Minnesota Housing Fix Up Loan (Accessibility Loan). The aging office listed for this area is the Northwest AAA (Inter-County Community Council) at (218) 281-8288.
A Medicaid home and community-based waiver benefit that pays for home modifications such as ramps, grab bars, door widening and lowered countertops. The reviewed source does not mention stair lifts, and the state contact listed is the email [email protected].
An Area Agency on Aging offering information, assistance and resource coordination for older adults, caregivers and people with disabilities across a 21-county region; its public page does not list stair lift or home modification grants. Call (218) 745-6733 to confirm it serves your address and ask for referrals.
Deferred loans up to $37,500 with no monthly payments, forgiven if you keep owning and living in the home through the term, for low-income homeowners with assets below $25,000; it covers accessibility improvements, though stair lifts are not named. Call Minnesota Housing at (651) 296-8215.
Up to $6,800 lifetime for veterans with a service-connected disability or a non-service-connected rating of 50% or more, and up to $2,000 for other non-service-connected veterans. The VA explicitly excludes stair glides (stair lifts) from this grant.
Up to $126,526 for FY 2026 to buy, build or adapt a home for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home. The VA source does not name stair lifts as a covered item.
Up to $25,350 for FY 2026 to adapt a permanent home for a veteran with a qualifying service-connected disability. The VA source does not name stair lifts as a covered item.
A nonprofit center for independent living that serves Otter Tail County from its Fergus Falls office at 125 West Lincoln Avenue Suite 1, with advocacy, a Temporary Ramps program and accessibility referrals; it does not mention stair lifts. Call (218) 998-1799.
Older adults
111 South Civic Center Drive, Oklee, 56742
Veterans
505 South Court Street, Suite 2, Fergus Falls, 56537
Not through the HISA grant, which explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants fund home adaptations for qualifying service-connected disabilities but do not name stair lifts, so call the Otter Tail County Veterans Service Office at (218) 998-8605 to ask how they apply to your case.
That layout is common on sloping shoreline lots. If the stairs are indoors and straight, a straight rail usually works; if the climb starts outside or turns, an outdoor, curved or platform lift may be the better match. We decide after measuring.
Yes, these homes are a frequent reason people call us. Steep, narrow stairs from the 1880s need careful measuring, and a staircase with turns or landings will need a curved rail.
The Otter Tail County / Fergus Falls HRA RLP/ELP loans cover manufactured homes with a maximum term of 10 years, compared with 15 years for other property. Stair lifts are not named, so ask Minnesota Housing at (651) 296-8215 whether your project qualifies.
The Environmental Accessibility Adaptations benefit covers items like ramps, grab bars and door widening, but the reviewed source does not mention stair lifts. You can ask the state by email at [email protected].
Try the Northwest AAA (Inter-County Community Council) at (218) 281-8288, Dancing Sky Area Agency on Aging at (218) 745-6733, or the Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living in Fergus Falls at (218) 998-1799.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
