From the older streets around Troy's public square to the big houses near downtown Piqua and the farmhouses outside Covington, Bradford and Casstown, Miami County homes were mostly built long before anyone wrote an accessibility code. That means the stairs we measure here rarely look the same from one house to the next.
This page walks through what that mix of homes means for choosing a stair lift, and which local and federal programs are worth a phone call before you pay out of pocket. It covers all 12 towns we list for the county, including Tipp City, West Milton, Pleasant Hill, Fletcher, Laura, Potsdam and Brandt.
The county's housing ranges from 19th-century buildings in Troy's historic downtown to the large homes in Piqua's older residential areas, built during the city's industrial boom in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Add older multi-story farmhouses and small-town Victorian-era homes, and you get stairwells of every width and shape.
Troy even has a rare set of mid-20th-century Hobart-built welded steel houses, 16 of the original 22 still standing and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Homes like these are a good reminder that we measure every staircase rather than assume a standard floor plan.
A straight stair lift fits a single run of stairs with no turns or landings. Many single-family homes, detached houses and townhouses in the county have a staircase like that, and a straight rail is usually the simplest install.
Curved lifts are built for stairs that turn, wrap around a landing or change direction partway up. Older farmhouses and Victorian-era homes often have these, and narrow stairwells call for careful measuring of the rail and the seat's folded width.
Split-level homes bring their own puzzle, since there are several short flights instead of one long one. Ranch-style homes may only have a few steps at the entry, where an outdoor lift or a platform lift can make more sense than an indoor chair.
Miami County has a population of 69,921, and 17.4% of residents are 65 or older. About 67.3% of residents are homeowners, and 2020 Census figures put 70.5% of the county's 46,766 housing units as owner-occupied.
For most families, that means the decision is about adapting a home the family owns rather than asking a landlord.
Miami County covers 410 square miles in west-central Ohio and sits inside the Dayton metropolitan area. The Great Miami River runs through it, and Troy and Piqua grew up along its banks.
Being part of the Dayton metro means shorter trips for installers and medical equipment suppliers based in the Dayton area than in more remote rural Ohio counties. About 30.6% of residents live in rural areas, and those homes are still within reasonable reach for a measurement visit.
No program on this page lists stair lifts as a confirmed covered item, so call before you count on any of them. Some, like PASSPORT and the VA housing grants, could possibly include one in an individual plan, but the sources we reviewed do not confirm it.
One program clearly will not help: the VA HISA grant excludes stair glides. Start with Area Agency on Aging PSA 2 at (937) 341-3000 or the Miami County Veterans Service Office at (937) 440-8126, and ask directly about stair lifts before buying.
A Medicaid waiver for people 60 and older who need nursing-facility level care, with in-home services set through a care plan; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed on the source we reviewed. Call Area Agency on Aging PSA 2 at (937) 223-4357 to ask about an assessment.
An Older Americans Act home repair service for older adults in PSA 2's nine-county region, including Miami County; the source does not say whether stair lifts are covered. Call (937) 223-4357 to confirm what work is in scope.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically needed home changes, but it does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides are listed as excluded. The Miami County Veterans Service Office at (937) 440-8126 can help with HISA claims for other modifications.
A VA grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities, or up to $50,961 to adapt a family member's home; stair lifts are not named on the source. Call (800) 827-1000 to ask whether one could be part of an approved plan.
A VA grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026), or up to $9,100 for a temporary residence, for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands; stair lifts are not named on the source. Call (800) 827-1000 for details.
The county office in Troy helps veterans file VA claims, offers emergency financial assistance for essential needs and provides rides to the Dayton VA Medical Center; stair lift funding is not listed. Call (937) 440-8126 for help applying to the VA grants above.
Grant-funded repair work at no cost to homeowners who have owned for at least 12 months and earn below 80% of area median income; ramp installation is listed, but stair lifts are not. Call (937) 332-3763 to apply.
A nonprofit serving people with disabilities in nine counties, including Miami County, with information, referral and advocacy rather than direct funding; stair lifts are not listed among its services. Call (937) 341-5202 for help finding accessibility resources.
Older adults
40 W. Second Street, Suite 400, Dayton, 45402
Veterans
510 W. Water Street Box 140, Troy, 45373
The PASSPORT waiver builds an individual care plan for people 60 and older who need nursing-facility level care, but the source we reviewed does not list stair lifts. Call Area Agency on Aging PSA 2 at (937) 223-4357 and ask whether one could be included after an assessment.
No. The VA lists stair glides among the items HISA does not cover. The SAH and SHA grants do not exclude them, though they do not name them either, so ask the VA at (800) 827-1000 or the county veterans office at (937) 440-8126.
Yes, that is what a curved stair lift is built for. Older farmhouses and Victorian-era homes in the county often have turns and narrow stairwells, so we measure the full run and the stair width before recommending a rail.
Its Home Repairs Program lists ramp installation but not stair lifts. If an entry ramp would solve part of the problem, call (937) 332-3763; you need to have owned the home for at least 12 months and have income below 80% of area median income.
The Miami County Veterans Service Office is at 510 W. Water Street Box 140, Troy, OH 45373. The phone is (937) 440-8126.
Split-level homes have several short flights, so the answer depends on which levels you need to reach. A straight lift can cover one flight, while an outdoor or platform lift may suit a short set of entry steps.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
