Renville County is small-town and farm country on North Dakota's northern border, right up against Saskatchewan. Mohall is the county seat and largest city, and the smaller communities of Glenburn, Grano, Loraine, Sherwood and Tolley round out the map. Across all of them, older two-story farmhouses and older town homes with entry steps are a common sight.
Those houses were built for people who took the stairs without a second thought. As owners stay put and age in place, the bedroom upstairs or the steps at the front door can become the hardest part of the day. This page walks through which kind of stair lift tends to fit the homes here and where to look for help paying for one.
Most housing in Renville County is single-family homes and detached houses, not apartments or multi-story buildings. That is good news for a stair lift, because you own the stairs and can decide what goes on them.
An older two-story farmhouse often has one straight flight to the bedrooms. A straight stair lift is the simplest fit there: a rail mounted to the stair treads, a seat that folds up, and usually no changes to walls. If the staircase turns at a landing, you would need a curved lift, which uses a rail built to match your exact stairs.
Split-level homes are a different puzzle. They have several short runs of steps between levels, so the question becomes which levels you really need to reach every day. Ranch-style homes keep most living space on one floor, so the concern is more often the steps at the entry.
Plenty of older town homes in Mohall, Glenburn and Sherwood have a few steps up to the door. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather and can carry a seated rider up those steps.
If the person uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the better match. It carries the chair itself. It takes more room than a seated lift, so we look at the yard, the door and the path to the car before recommending one.
The county covers 892.9 square miles of rolling farmland, and the Souris River runs through the region. Regional travel runs along U.S. Highways 52 and 83, and residents needing mobility equipment or installation usually rely on providers who travel in from larger hubs such as Minot rather than local specialists.
That distance matters for planning. It helps to have the stairs measured, the right lift chosen and any paperwork for assistance sorted before the install date, so the trip covers everything in one visit.
About 22.2% of residents are 65 or older, and the median age is 46.6 years. That means many families here are either dealing with stairs now or will be soon.
And with 73.4% of residents owning their homes, most people can make a permanent change like a stair lift without asking a landlord.
The median household income in the county is $76,311 and the median home value is $173,131, so some families pay out of pocket and others need to lean on Medicaid, VA or state help. None of the programs listed on this page name stair lifts as a covered item in their published material, so the honest answer is that you need to call and ask.
Start close to home. The North Star Human Service Zone office in Mohall is where Renville County residents apply for ND Medicaid, and the Aging and Disability Resource Link can explain home and community-based care options statewide. The Aging Services Division in Bismarck can be reached at (701) 328-8910.
Veterans can talk with the Renville County Veterans Service Office at the Courthouse, 205 Main Street East, Mohall, at (701) 833-8743. Other statewide programs to ask about include Service Payments for the Elderly and Disabled (SPED / Ex-SPED), the ND Assistive Assistive Technology Financial Loan (ATFL) Program, VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), North Dakota Medicaid State Plan Personal Care, and the North Dakota Homestead Property Tax Credit for Seniors and Disabled.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 for a permanent home (FY2026) for veterans and service members with certain service-connected disabilities, usable up to 6 times over a lifetime. VA lists ramps and widened doorways among covered changes but does not name stair lifts, so ask the Renville County Veterans Service Office at (701) 833-8743.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 for a permanent home (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss or loss of use of both hands, certain severe burns, or breathing injuries. Stair lifts are not named in VA's description, so confirm with the Renville County Veterans Service Office.
The local office at 205 Main St. E., Mohall, where residents apply for Medicaid, SNAP, heating assistance and TANF, and get referred to Medicaid home and community-based case management. It does not list stair lifts itself; call (701) 756-6374, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm CT.
North Dakota's single point of entry for older adults and people with physical disabilities looking for home and community-based long-term care, including Medicaid waiver and 1915(i) case management. Its page does not say whether stair lifts are covered, so call (855) 462-5465 and ask about environmental modification or fall-prevention equipment.
A Medicaid benefit for enrolled members with household income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level who meet functional and diagnosis requirements. Its published service list does not name home modifications or stair lifts; questions go to (701) 328-2310.
Older adults
600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 325, Bismarck, 58505
Veterans
Courthouse, 205 Main Street East, Mohall, 58761
Often, yes. Many older two-story farmhouses have one straight flight, which is the simplest setup. If the stairs turn at a landing, a curved lift with a custom rail is needed instead.
Yes. An outdoor stair lift handles entry steps for someone who can sit and ride. For a wheelchair user who cannot transfer, a platform lift carries the chair itself.
The program material we have does not name stair lifts as covered. Apply for ND Medicaid through the North Star Human Service Zone office in Mohall at (701) 756-6374, and ask the Aging and Disability Resource Link at (855) 462-5465 about environmental modifications under a care plan.
Call the Renville County Veterans Service Office at (701) 833-8743, located in the Courthouse at 205 Main Street East. They can walk you through the SAH and SHA grants and VA HISA and prosthetics benefits.
Residents here usually depend on providers traveling in from larger hubs such as Minot. Having the stairs measured and the lift chosen ahead of time helps make the install trip go smoothly.
North Dakota has the ND Assistive Assistive Technology Financial Loan (ATFL) Program. Ask them directly whether a stair lift fits their loan rules.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
