Skagit County runs from the islands of Puget Sound to the Cascade foothills. Its 16 towns include Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley and La Conner on the flat Skagit River valley floor, Anacortes on hilly Fidalgo Island, and upriver places like Concrete, Lyman, Hamilton and Marblemount. Each setting puts different stairs in front of the people who live there.
In the valley you find older farmhouses and multi-story homes. In Anacortes many houses sit on sloped lots with exterior steps or split-level floor plans. This page walks through what that means for choosing a stair lift and where people in the county can look for help paying for one.
Much of the county's population lives in and around Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley and La Conner. The housing there is a mix of older farmhouses, multi-story single-family homes and townhouses. When the bedrooms or the only full bathroom are upstairs, that one staircase decides how long someone can stay in the house.
A straight staircase is the simplest case, and a straight lift usually mounts to the stair treads rather than the wall. Older farmhouses sometimes have narrow stairs, a turn at the top, or a landing partway up. Those layouts call for a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairs, so we measure before quoting anything.
Anacortes sits at about 246 feet, with Mount Erie rising to 1,273 feet nearby on Fidalgo Island. The glacier-shaped ground means many homes are built on slopes, with exterior stairs up from the street or down to the yard. Split-level homes add short flights between every floor.
Outdoor stair lifts are built for steps like these, with weather-resistant parts and covers. Inside a split-level, a short straight run often solves the most-used half flight. For a front entry that is too steep or awkward for a seat lift, a platform lift can be worth a look.
The Skagit River has a long flooding history in the lowland farm valley. In December 2025 it crested near 38 feet at Mount Vernon after a major atmospheric-river storm. Fir Island's 90,000-acre floodplain and towns like Mount Vernon and Lyman are especially exposed.
Many valley homes sit on or near that floodplain, and some have raised entries with extra steps to the front door. For an older resident, those steps matter every day and again during an evacuation. An outdoor lift or platform lift on the entry stairs can keep the house usable, and it is worth planning where the motor and charging station sit relative to likely high water.
About 20.9% of county residents are 65 or older, and 64.6% are homeowners. Owning the house makes a permanent installation like a stair lift easier to arrange than in a rental.
If that includes your parent, the county Veteran Service Officer in Burlington is a good first call before buying anything, since VA home adaptation grants have their own steps.
None of the local program sources we checked names stair lifts directly. Some cover home modifications in general, so it is worth asking each office whether a lift could fit under its rules. The programs below list who to call.
Washington also has statewide options to ask about: the COPES Waiver (Community Options Program Entry System), Community First Choice (CFC), the Northwest Access Fund Home Modification Loan, VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), and the Senior Citizens & People with Disabilities Property Tax Exemption. The NW Regional Council AAA at (360) 676-6749 can help sort out which ones apply.
A Medicaid-funded in-home care benefit that can add home modifications such as ramps, grab bars or widened doorways for adults who qualify medically and financially; stair lifts are not mentioned on the source page. Ask through Home and Community Services case management or the Northwest Regional Council at (360) 676-6749.
Support for unpaid family caregivers in Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom Counties, including local resources, training, counseling and respite care; stair lifts and home modifications are not mentioned on the source page. Call (360) 676-6749.
Free volunteer home repairs for Skagit County residents 60 and older, or adults 18 and older with a disability, who live independently and cannot pay privately; work is limited to repairs that do not need a licensed professional, and stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (360) 588-5745.
An income-qualified weatherization program whose Plus Health track can include slip, trip and fall prevention measures chosen by the local agency; stair lifts are not named on the source page. Call (360) 757-6509, ext. 231.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 for FY2026 for veterans with certain serious service-connected disabilities who own or plan to own the home; the source mentions ramps and widened doorways but does not name stair lifts. The Skagit County Veteran Service Officer at (360) 391-1512 can help with the application.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 for FY2026 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, and the home can be owned by the veteran or a family member; stair lifts are not named on the source page. Call the Skagit County Veteran Service Officer at (360) 391-1512.
Older adults
600 Lakeway Drive, Suite 100, Bellingham, 98225
Veterans
160 Cascade Pl STE 104, Burlington, 98233
Yes. Outdoor stair lifts are made for exterior steps like the ones on many sloped Fidalgo Island lots. If the steps are very steep or irregular, a platform lift may fit better, and a home measurement will show which one works.
Community Action of Skagit County runs a volunteer minor home repair program for residents 60 and older, or adults 18 and older with a disability, who cannot pay privately. Stair lifts are not named in its scope, so call (360) 588-5745 to ask what they can do.
The state's in-home care benefit under COPES and Medicaid long-term services can cover home modifications like ramps and grab bars, but its page does not mention stair lifts. Eligibility is set by case management, so start with the Northwest Regional Council at (360) 676-6749.
Call the Skagit County Veteran Service Officer at (360) 391-1512, at 160 Cascade Pl STE 104 in Burlington. They can tell you whether the VA SAH or SHA grant, or VA HISA and prosthetics benefits, may apply.
It can. Homes on or near the Skagit floodplain often have raised entries with extra steps, so an outdoor or platform lift at the door may matter as much as an indoor one. We also plan where the lift's power parts sit so they are not in the lowest part of the house.
Its Weatherization Plus Health track lists slip, trip and fall prevention among the measures a local agency can provide to income-qualified households. Stair lifts are not named, so ask directly at (360) 757-6509, ext. 231.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
