Barnes County covers 1,513 square miles of rolling hills, lakes and farmland, with the Sheyenne River running through the middle and Valley City and Oriska as its two towns. Many homes here are older houses that were never designed for single-floor living or a stair-free front entry.
This page walks through what that means for a stair lift in a Barnes County home: which type tends to fit, how the rural layout affects planning, and which local and state offices can help with the cost. About 21.1% of the county's 6,788 residents are 65 or older, so stairs come up at a lot of kitchen tables here.
The county had an estimated 5,719 housing units in 2024. The local mix includes single-family homes, split-level homes, townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings. With a median home value of $178,111 as of Q4 2024, a good share of that stock is older and was built before accessibility codes shaped how stairs and entries were laid out.
A single straight flight in a single-family home or townhouse is usually the simplest job, and a straight rail is typically the most affordable choice. Split-level homes are different: short flights between levels, landings and turns often call for a curved rail, or more than one lift if a person needs to reach several levels.
Walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings share stairways, so a renter will need the owner's approval before anything is mounted. That is worth sorting out before an assessment.
Because so many older homes here lack a stair-free entry, the steps outside can be as much of a barrier as the ones inside. An outdoor stair lift is built for porch and entry steps and sits on the exterior stairs.
When someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the option to discuss instead. We look at the inside and outside stairs together during a visit so the plan covers the whole route through the house.
Barnes County averages about 7.24 people per square mile, and most of the land is in agriculture. That spread means longer drives to medical providers and home-modification contractors, and fewer local installers than a metro area has.
In practice, it helps to get measurements, the choice of lift and any funding paperwork lined up before the install date. Ask about service visits too, since a farm home outside Valley City or Oriska is a longer trip than a house in town.
The county's 2023 median household income was $70,230, with an 11.5% poverty rate. For many families that makes state and federal help, such as Medicaid home and community-based services and VA grants, an important part of the plan.
For Medicaid, the local door is the Buffalo Bridges Human Service Zone office in Valley City at (701) 845-8521. The ND Aging and Disability Resource Link at (855) 462-5465 offers free options counseling, and the Aging Services Division in Bismarck can be reached at (701) 328-8910. None of the sources we checked list stair lifts by name, so ask each office directly what is currently funded.
Statewide programs worth asking about include the North Dakota Medicaid HCBS Aged and Disabled Waiver, Environmental Modification, Service Payments for the Elderly and Disabled (SPED / Ex-SPED), the ND Assistive, Assistive Technology Financial Loan (ATFL) Program and the North Dakota Homestead Property Tax Credit for Seniors and Disabled. The program list below has phone numbers for the local and veteran options.
The Barnes County Veterans Service Office is at 575 10th St. SW Suite #7 in Valley City, phone (701) 845-8511, and can help with VA claims and grant applications.
The VA Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation grants fund home changes for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities. The VA pages describe ramps and wider doorways and do not name stair lifts, so confirm with a service officer before counting on a grant for one.
The local intake office for Medicaid, including the long-term-care HCBS pathway, serving Barnes and Stutsman counties from 230 4th St. NW, Room 102, Valley City. Its listing does not mention stair lifts or home modifications; call (701) 845-8521 to start an application.
A free statewide information and referral service for seniors, adults with disabilities and caregivers, connecting them to home and community-based services. Stair lifts are not listed on its page, so call (855) 462-5465 to ask what is funded for a Barnes County applicant.
A Medicaid program that helps aged, blind and disabled North Dakotans who meet financial and nursing-facility level-of-care criteria stay at home. The pages checked did not list stair lifts or other specific modifications; apply and ask through Buffalo Bridges at (701) 845-8521.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 for FY2026 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities who own or plan to own the home, with ramps and wider doorways named as uses but stair lifts not mentioned. Call (701) 239-7165 for help applying.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 for FY2026 for a permanent home owned by the veteran or a family member, for veterans with certain service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not named on the VA page. Call (701) 239-7165 for application help.
Free help for North Dakota veterans and dependents applying for VA benefits, including the SAH and SHA housing grants; the program itself does not list stair lift coverage. The state office number is (701) 239-7165.
Older adults
600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 325, Bismarck, 58505
Veterans
575 10th St. SW Suite #7, Valley City, 58072
Often, yes. Split-level homes usually have short flights and landings, which can mean a curved rail or separate lifts for different levels. An in-home assessment sorts out which fits your layout.
The sources we checked do not list stair lifts by name under the HCBS program. Call the Buffalo Bridges Human Service Zone in Valley City at (701) 845-8521 or the ADRL at (855) 462-5465 to ask what home modifications are currently funded.
Possibly. The VA SAH and SHA grants fund home adaptations for qualifying service-connected disabilities, though the VA pages do not name stair lifts. The Barnes County Veterans Service Office at (701) 845-8511 can help you check eligibility and apply.
Yes, but plan ahead. The county's low density means longer travel for contractors and fewer local installers, so having measurements and paperwork ready before the install date helps keep things on schedule.
An outdoor stair lift is made for exterior entry steps. If the person uses a wheelchair and cannot move to a seat, a platform lift is the option to look at.
The ND Aging and Disability Resource Link at (855) 462-5465 offers free options counseling and referrals. The Aging Services Division in Bismarck is also available at (701) 328-8910.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
