From the older staircases on the South Side of Billings to split-level houses in newer neighborhoods like Josephine Crossing, Yellowstone County has a wide range of stairs. Add Laurel, Lockwood, Shepherd, Worden, Huntley and Ballantine, and you get everything from single-family homes and townhouses to walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings.
This page walks through how those homes, the Rimrocks terrain and a snowy winter shape the kind of stair lift that makes sense. It also lists the programs in the county and state that may help with the cost, and what each one does and does not cover.
The South Side is one of Billings's oldest residential zones, and the Clark Avenue/Terry-Central Park area holds many of the city's first mansions. Multi-story homes in these historic neighborhoods often still have their original staircases. Those stairs can be narrow, steep or turn at a landing.
A straight staircase usually takes a straight rail stair lift, which is the simplest install. When the stairs curve or turn at a landing, a curved rail is built to match that exact staircase. We measure every step before recommending either one.
Split-level homes are common in the newer suburban construction further from the historic core. Instead of one long flight, they have short runs between levels. Depending on which levels someone needs to reach, that can mean one lift on the run that matters most or more than one lift.
Townhouses tend to have a single straight flight, which often suits a straight rail. In walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, the stairs may be shared, so the building owner needs to approve any install. With 65.2% of county residents owning their homes, most households can make that call themselves.
Billings sits at 3,126 feet and is split by the Rimrocks, sandstone cliffs that separate downtown from the Heights and Lockwood. Homes near that rise can have sloped lots and steps up to the front door. Inside access is only half the job if the entry steps are hard to manage.
The county averages 57.4 inches of snow a year, though chinook winds limit how much piles up. Ice on entry steps is still a real winter problem. An outdoor stair lift built for weather, or a platform lift for someone who uses a wheelchair, can solve the trip from the driveway to the door.
Many of them plan to stay in the homes they already own. The local aging resource center's own community survey found that stairs and mobility barriers are the top urban concern.
If a parent is starting to avoid the upstairs bedroom or the basement laundry, that is usually the time to look at a lift. Planning ahead lets you compare options and check funding before a fall forces a quick decision.
No program listed here names stair lifts as a covered item, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes them. Several programs do cover home modifications or accessibility features in general, so it is worth asking each one directly whether a stair lift could qualify in your case.
Good first calls are Allies in Aging at (406) 259-5212 and the Big Sky Waiver line at (800) 219-7035. Veterans can reach the Montana Veteran Affairs Division Billings Service Office at (406) 248-8579. Statewide, you can also ask about the Montana Assistive Technology Loan (MATL), the Reverse Annuity Mortgage (RAM), Community First Choice Services (CFCS) and the Property Tax Assistance Program (PTAP) & Elderly Homeowner/Renter Credit.
Montana's main Medicaid home and community waiver for people 65+ or under 65 with a qualifying physical disability who meet nursing facility level of care; it includes Environmental Adaptations, but stair lifts are not named and the program has a waiting list. Call (800) 219-7035 or apply through the local County Office of Public Assistance.
The aging and disability resource center for Yellowstone County, formerly the Adult Resource Alliance of Yellowstone County, offers a Minor Home Repair Program for older adults with accessibility needs; stair lifts are not named as a covered item. Call (406) 259-5212 to start intake.
This program is planned for Yellowstone County but not yet operating, and its listed scope is painting, landscaping, weatherization and minor repairs with no stair lifts or interior accessibility work mentioned. Call (406) 652-0960 to ask when it will start.
Very low-income homeowners in USDA-designated rural areas can get loans up to $40,000 at 1% for 20 years, and those 62 or older can get grants up to $10,000; funds can cover accessibility features like ramps, though stair lifts are not named. Check your address at eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov, since Billings addresses may not qualify, and call (406) 585-2580.
HISA pays up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary structural changes like entrance ramps and roll-in showers, but it explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities can get up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026 to adapt a home, such as ramps or wider doorways; stair lifts are not mentioned as a covered adaptation. Call (800) 827-1000.
The Center for Independent Living serving Yellowstone County offers information and referral, advocacy and independent living skills help for people with disabilities, not direct equipment funding; no home modification program is named. Call (406) 259-5181 to ask about help finding stair lift funding.
Older adults
1505 Avenue D, Billings, 59102
Veterans
1500 University Dr., College of Education Building, Room 114, Billings, 59102
Not through the HISA grant, which lists stair glides among excluded items. The SAH and SHA grants cover adaptations like ramps and wider doorways but do not mention stair lifts, so call (800) 827-1000 or the Billings Service Office at (406) 248-8579 to ask about your situation.
The Big Sky Waiver includes Environmental Adaptations, but its program page does not name stair lifts, and there is a waiting list. Call (800) 219-7035 or your County Office of Public Assistance to ask whether a lift could be part of a service plan.
Possibly not, because the program is for USDA-designated rural areas and Billings may be too large. Rural parts of Yellowstone County are more likely to qualify, so check your exact address at eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov. Grants are limited to homeowners 62 or older.
The Big Sky Waiver accepts people under 65 who have a qualifying physical disability and meet nursing facility level of care. LIFTT also serves people with disabilities in Yellowstone County at (406) 259-5181.
Yes. Split-levels have short runs of stairs, so we look at which levels the person needs to reach and fit a lift to that run, or to more than one run if needed.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are made for weather exposure. With 57.4 inches of average snowfall, many homeowners here add one to icy entry steps, or choose a platform lift if a wheelchair is involved.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
