From the older rowhouses near French Street and lower George Street in New Brunswick to the post-war tracts of Edison, Woodbridge and Middlesex, the 55 towns of Middlesex County hold a wide mix of staircases. A split-level in East Brunswick, a walk-up on Easton Avenue and a townhouse in Plainsboro each ask for a different kind of stair lift.
The county is mostly flat, but winters are cold, and that matters as much as the stairs themselves. This page walks through what local homes usually need, what to ask before an installation, and which county and state offices can help with the cost.
The post-war suburbs that grew between roughly the 1950s and 1970s are full of ranch homes and split-level houses. A split-level often has two or three short flights instead of one long one, so the question becomes which flight is the daily problem. Sometimes one short straight lift solves it; sometimes two are needed.
Older homes in New Brunswick, including nineteenth-century rowhouses, tend to have narrower stairways and turns. A staircase with a landing or a bend usually needs a curved rail built to fit that exact stair. Straight runs in single-family homes and townhouses are the simplest and quickest to fit.
Walk-up apartments and the newer condominium buildings along the New Brunswick waterfront come with shared stairways and building rules. If you rent or live in a condo, talk with the owner or association before planning any install.
New Brunswick averages roughly 32F in January, and the record low is -13F. A lift on a front porch, a deck or in an unheated garage has to handle freezing weather.
For any exterior or unheated-garage install, we use freeze-rated components and weatherproofing rather than standard indoor hardware. If the steps up to your door are the real barrier, an outdoor lift or a platform lift may fit better than an indoor chair.
Middlesex County has 1,043,550 residents, and 16.6% are 65 or older. With 63.7% of households owning their homes, many families are deciding whether to adapt the house they already have.
The median property value was $462,900 in 2024. Local moves within New Jersey typically run about $485 to $4,455 depending on home size, with labor around $135/hour, before you even count the cost of a new home. For many owners, adapting the stairs is part of the math of staying put.
The Piscataway VA Clinic is in the county, and the East Orange VA Medical Center serves the wider region.
No single program here simply pays for a stair lift, so it helps to know what each one does. The county runs a free fall-risk assessment for older adults and people with disabilities, and a county rehab loan program serves 17 municipalities, though stair lifts are not on its published work list.
Residents of Cranbury Township and Plainsboro Township can also look at a Habitat for Humanity program that funds accessibility work. Statewide, ask about Jersey Assistance for Community Caregiving (JACC), NJ Medicaid MLTSS and, for veterans, VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics). The program list below has the details and phone numbers.
A 0% interest deferred loan of up to $30,000 in repairs, repaid on sale or transfer of title, for income-eligible homeowner-occupants in 17 municipalities including Carteret, East Brunswick, Monroe, Plainsboro and South River. Its published work list does not name stair lifts or accessibility changes, so call Community Grants Planning & Housing (CGP&H) at (609) 664-2783 to ask before counting on it.
A nonprofit program that funds ramp installations and accessibility and fall-prevention improvements for income-eligible homeowners, but in Middlesex County it serves only Cranbury Township and Plainsboro Township. Call (856) 441-2740 and ask whether an interior stair lift can be part of the scope set during the in-home assessment.
A free in-home fall-risk safety assessment for residents 60 and older and people 18 and older with disabilities, run by the Middlesex County Office of Aging & Disabled Services with Robert Wood Johnson Trauma & Injury Prevention. It does not pay for or install stair lifts, but it can point out risks and refer you onward; call (732) 745-3295.
A statewide New Jersey program. Our sources do not say whether it covers stair lifts, so ask the Middlesex County Office of Aging & Disabled Services at (732) 745-3295 how to check eligibility.
A statewide New Jersey Medicaid program. Our sources do not say whether it covers stair lifts, so confirm coverage before planning around it.
VA benefits available to eligible veterans statewide. Our sources do not say whether a stair lift qualifies, so call the New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs – Middlesex County Veterans Service Office at (609) 671-3561 to ask.
Older adults
75 Bayard Street, 5th Floor, New Brunswick, 08901
Veterans
625 Main St, Woodbridge Armory, Woodbridge, 07095
Not on paper. The Middlesex County Housing Rehabilitation Program (CDBG) lists heating, electrical, roofs, plumbing, foundations, weatherization and lead paint work 'and more,' without naming stair lifts. Call CGP&H at (609) 664-2783 to ask whether accessibility equipment can be included.
That program only serves 17 municipalities, and Edison, Woodbridge, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Old Bridge and Sayreville are not among them. Check with your own town about any local program.
The county's free fall-risk assessment is open to residents 60 and older and also to people 18 and older with disabilities. Call (732) 745-3295 to set one up.
Yes, with the right equipment. With January averages near 32F and a record low of -13F, an exterior or unheated-garage lift needs freeze-rated parts and weatherproofing.
It depends on which levels you use every day. One short straight lift often covers the main flight, and a second can be added if another flight is also a problem.
Start with the New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs – Middlesex County Veterans Service Office at 625 Main St, Woodbridge Armory, Woodbridge, phone (609) 671-3561. Ask about VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics).
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
