From island homes on Bainbridge Island to suburban Silverdale and the older shipyard neighborhoods of Bremerton, Kitsap County covers most of the Kitsap Peninsula and 28 towns. Many of those houses sit on sloped or bluff-edge lots, so the stairs that matter often run both inside and outside the house.
This page walks through how local homes and terrain shape the kind of stair lift that fits, and which county, state, federal and nonprofit programs may help pay for one. It is written for older homeowners in places like Port Orchard, Poulsbo, Kingston and Seabeck, and for the adult children helping them plan.
A lot of Kitsap housing is split-level or multi-story, built across different eras on sloped ground. A split-level often has two or three short flights instead of one long one, and each flight is its own stair lift question.
A single straight flight takes a straight stair lift, which is the simplest install. When the stairs turn at a landing or connect several short runs, a curved rail can carry the seat around the corner, or a pair of straight lifts can cover separate flights. We measure every run before recommending either.
The county has about 250 miles of shoreline across roughly 395 square miles of land, and the terrain is hilly and forested. Around Puget Sound that means steep driveways, bluff-top homes and multi-level entries where the front door is a flight of steps above the street or the beach.
An outdoor stair lift is built for weather and can serve deck stairs, entry steps or a path down a slope. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a short rise, a platform lift may fit better than a seat. The right answer depends on the stair, the slope and how the person moves today.
Bremerton grew up around the naval shipyard, and much of its housing stock is older and built for working families. Neighborhoods like Navy Yard City, Manchester and Tracyton include a range of single-family homes, townhouses and walk-up apartments.
Older stairs can be narrow or steep, and townhouses often stack living space over several floors. A slim straight rail usually fits a narrow staircase, and the folding seat and footrest leave the stairs usable for everyone else. In a walk-up or low-rise building, check with the owner or association before planning an install in a shared stairwell.
That makes VA and county veteran programs worth checking, though not every VA grant pays for a stair lift.
The one program below that names stair lifts outright is the Northwest Access Fund loan. Others, like COPES and the VA housing grants, fund home modifications in general and decide case by case. A good first call is the Kitsap County Division of Aging and Long-Term Care at (360) 337-5700, which can assess eligibility for in-home programs.
Veterans can also visit Kitsap County Veterans Services at 614 Division St., MS‑23, Port Orchard 98366, or call (360) 337-4811.
The county's own aging office offers information, case management and access to in-home programs such as COPES for older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers. Its source page does not list stair lifts or home modifications by name; call (360) 337-5700 to ask.
This Apple Health waiver pays for environmental modifications that support health, safety and independence for people who meet nursing-facility level of care but stay at home, with amounts set through the individual plan of care. The rule does not name stair lifts; call (855) 567-0252.
HISA pays for medically necessary changes like entrance access and roll-in showers, with lifetime caps of $6,800 or $2,000 depending on service connection. Stair glides and porch lifts are specifically excluded; call (800) 827-1000 for other uses.
These grants help veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities adapt a home, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026, usable up to 6 times. Stair lifts are not named in the source; call (800) 827-1000.
This nonprofit loan for Washington, Oregon and Idaho residents with a disability, including seniors, lists installation of stairlifts as a covered use, with up to $60,000 over up to 120 months. Call (206) 328-5116.
A property-tax-funded fund for county veterans and families in need, run through the Veterans Assistance Bureau. The source does not state amounts or mention stair lifts; call (360) 337-4811 and ask for Steve Corcoran, Veterans Fund Program Coordinator.
Very-low-income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas can get loans up to $40,000 at 1% and, if 62 or older, grants up to $10,000 for health and safety repairs. Stair lifts are not listed, and eligibility depends on your exact address.
This exemption reduces or freezes property tax on a primary residence based on age or disability, ownership, residency and income. It does not pay for a stair lift directly but can free up household money.
Older adults
2500 Lower Elwha Rd., Port Angeles, 98363
Veterans
614 Division St., MS‑23, Port Orchard, 98366
Not through HISA, which specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH, SHA and TRA grants cover home adaptations for certain service-connected disabilities but do not name stair lifts, so call the VA at (800) 827-1000 to ask about your case.
Yes. The Northwest Access Fund Home Modification Loan lists stairlift installation as a covered use, with loans up to $60,000 and terms up to 10 years. Call (206) 328-5116.
COPES funds environmental modifications that improve safety and independence at home, but the rule does not name stair lifts. Whether one is approved depends on your plan of care, so start with the Kitsap County Division of Aging and Long-Term Care at (360) 337-5700.
The USDA Section 504 grant requires age 62 or older, but its loans have no age requirement. The Northwest Access Fund loan is open to people of any age with a disability.
Often, yes. Outdoor stair lifts are built for exterior steps and decks, and a platform lift can suit a wheelchair user on a short rise. We look at the slope, the stair layout and how the person moves before recommending one.
Kitsap County Veterans Services is at 614 Division St., MS‑23, Port Orchard 98366, phone (360) 337-4811. They also handle the Kitsap County Veterans Assistance Fund.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
