Expert Stairlift Installation in Lansing, MI

Yes — always. Michigan requires a LARA Residential Builder license for any residential alteration work over $600. Our LARA license number is printed on every written quote. Verify at michigan.gov/lara. Lansing also requires its own local electrical permit for any new dedicated circuit, and we hold the Michigan electrical credentials to pull that permit. If an installer won't give you a LARA number, do not let them in the house.

Straight rails are 2-4 hours on-site. The Eastside bungalows and Colonial Village cape cods with short straight runs often finish in under three hours. Curved rails take longer to manufacture (1-2 weeks) but install day is still usually under 4 hours. No overnight workers, no multi-day mess.

Yes — and it's one of our most common Lansing installs. The 1950s cape cods in Colonial Village and similar neighborhoods have steep half-story bedroom stairs with a low header at the top. We use a compact-profile seat that clears the header by at least three inches and add a powered swivel so you exit facing the bedroom, not the stairwell. We confirm the clearance during the first assessment with a laser measurement.

Every Ingham County install ships with a battery backup rated for 40+ rides without wall power. The January ice storms that knock out power across the capital region are exactly why we make backup standard — not optional. We test the battery at the 12-month service call and replace proactively if capacity has degraded below 80%.

Yes, through the MI Choice Waiver, administered by Michigan's Area Agencies on Aging. Stairlifts qualify as environmental accessibility adaptations with a typical cap of $6,000 per plan year (stackable across years with approval). Eligibility requires Michigan residency, age 18+, Medicaid financial eligibility, and nursing-facility level of care assessment. Call the Tri-County Office on Aging at 517-887-1440 — they cover Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties. Name us as your vendor and we handle the paperwork from there.

The VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System — now the Lt. Col. Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center — is about 60 minutes east on I-96. The VA HISA grant covers up to $6,800 for service-connected disabilities and $2,000 for non-service-connected. Lansing also has a VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic that can initiate the prescription referral. We prefill VA Form 10-0103 and coordinate with Ann Arbor VA for grant processing.

Michigan does not have a separate state medical-expense deduction, but on the federal side, if a licensed Michigan physician recommends the stairlift in writing (we provide the letter template), the IRS classifies it as a qualified medical expense under Schedule A. For households that itemize, the full installation cost reduces federal taxable income — usually worth $600-$2,400 back depending on your bracket. Our office can walk you through whether itemizing makes sense for your 2026 return.

No. The rail bolts into the stair treads — it's self-supporting and never touches the wall, the banister, or the newel post. We've installed in dozens of pre-war Moores Park and Eastside homes without damaging a single original detail. If we ever remove the lift, you're left with small pilot holes in the tread wood only.