Sheboygan County runs from the Lake Michigan shoreline in the city of Sheboygan out to smaller places like Adell, Glenbeulah, Waldo and Batavia. Most residents live in or near the county seat, but 29.4% live in rural areas, and the western and southern parts of the county are farther from in-home services along Interstate 43 and the state highways.
That spread shapes how a stair lift project goes here. A single-family home in Kohler, a townhouse in Sheboygan Falls and a detached house outside Cedar Grove can each call for a different lift. This page walks through what fits the local homes, and which programs in Sheboygan County and across Wisconsin may help with the cost.
The county has 53,838 (plus or minus 65) housing units. Single-family homes, detached houses and townhouses make up much of what we see, along with walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings in the more built-up areas around Sheboygan.
A straight staircase with no landing is the simplest job and usually the most affordable kind of lift. If the stairs turn at a landing or wrap around a corner, a curved lift is built to follow that exact shape, which takes more measuring and a longer lead time.
In walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, the stairway is often shared. Before anything is installed there, the building owner or association has to agree to it, so that conversation should come first.
Plenty of trouble starts before anyone gets inside. A few steps up to a porch or a side door can be harder to manage than the main staircase, especially at a detached house set back from the road in a rural part of the county.
For those spots, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure is one choice. When a wheelchair has to come along, a platform lift or a ramp is usually the better fit, since a seated stair lift requires the rider to transfer onto the seat.
As of the 2020 census, 18.8% of county residents were age 65 or older. About 66.1% of households own their home, which matters because many repair and modification programs, including the USDA and VA housing grants, require that you own the house.
The Sheboygan County Veterans Service Office at 650 Forest Ave in Sheboygan Falls, (920) 459-3053, can help a veteran sort out which VA benefits apply before you plan a project.
The clearest public route in Wisconsin is the IRIS program, whose official benefit list names stair lifts under home modifications. Family Care also covers home modifications through each member's care plan, but its examples are grab bars, ramps and wider doorways, so a stair lift is decided case by case.
Both programs start with a functional screen at the ADRC of Sheboygan County, 650 Forest Ave., Sheboygan Falls, (920) 467-4100. Homeowners with low incomes can also look at the USDA Section 504 program, the Northeastern Wisconsin Housing CDBG loan program and Rebuilding Together Sheboygan County, though none of these names stair lifts specifically.
Other statewide options worth asking the ADRC about include the Community Options Program (COP), WisLoan (WisTech Alternative Loan Program) and the WHEDA Home Improvement Loan Program (HILP). Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant excludes stair glides.
A self-directed Medicaid long-term care program for people who meet a nursing-facility level of care and Medicaid income and asset limits; its benefit list names stair lifts under home modifications, tied to your care plan and approved through your IRIS Consultant. Call (888) 515-4747 or start at the ADRC.
Medicaid managed long-term care for people age 65+ or adults with disabilities who meet a nursing facility level of care; home modifications are covered through the care plan, but stair lifts are not named, so approval is case by case. Call (800) 362-3002.
The county's starting point for functional screens, IRIS and Family Care enrollment, and referrals to local home-repair and accessibility help; it is not a cash grant and does not list a stair lift benefit. Located at 650 Forest Ave., Sheboygan Falls, (920) 467-4100.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners age 62 or older who cannot repay a loan, for very-low-income owners in eligible rural areas. Accessibility changes such as ramps are covered, but stair lifts are not named.
Zero-percent deferred loans for low- and moderate-income homeowners in Sheboygan County outside the City of Sheboygan, which runs its own program; accessibility improvements like ramps and wider doorways are covered, but stair lifts are not named. Call (920) 448-6480.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary permanent home changes; it specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so it does not pay for a stair lift. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026 for homeowning veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities; the VA's examples are ramps and widened doorways, and stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (800) 827-1000.
Free critical home repairs for low-income homeowners in the county, with priority for elderly and disabled homeowners, veterans and single-parent families; work includes ramps and porch repair, but stair lifts are not named. Call (833) 729-3330.
Older adults
650 Forest Ave., Sheboygan Falls, 53085
Veterans
650 Forest Ave, Sheboygan Falls, 53085
Start with the ADRC of Sheboygan County at 650 Forest Ave., Sheboygan Falls, (920) 467-4100. They do the functional screen needed for IRIS or Family Care and can point you to other local repair resources.
IRIS lists stair lifts by name among its home modifications. The lift has to be part of the participant's long-term care plan and be cost-effective, and the request goes through the IRIS Consultant. IRIS is an entitlement program with no waitlist.
The HISA grant does not, because it excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts either. Talk with the Sheboygan County Veterans Service Office at (920) 459-3053 about what applies to your situation.
The USDA Section 504 grant is limited to homeowners 62 or older, but the loan portion, up to $40,000 at 1% interest, is not restricted by age. You must own and live in the home in an eligible rural area and meet very-low-income limits.
No. That regional program serves Sheboygan County outside the City of Sheboygan, because the city runs its own CDBG program.
Often yes, if the staircase has the room and the owner or association approves. Shared stairways in walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings need that permission before any installation is scheduled.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
