Maine State Coverage

Stairlift installation across all of Maine

Certified installers serving every corner of Maine — from the Federal-era Cape Cods of coastal York County to the farmhouse saltboxes of Aroostook and the 1850s seacaptain homes of Searsport and Castine. Maine is the oldest state in the country by median age, and our crew ships a cold-weather-rated battery pack certified to -30°F on every install north of Augusta as standard.

(800) XXX-XXXX
459 Maine towns served
16 Counties covered
18 yrs Serving ME homeowners
4.77 ME customer rating
Coverage

We install in every corner of Maine

Tap a county to see the cities we serve in that area. Scroll or pinch to zoom. Our top Maine metros are pinned in gold — click any pin to jump to the city page.

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Licensed & Insured Maine State
BBB Accredited A+ Rating
15+ Years Serving Maine
1,500+ Installations Statewide
About Maine

What Maine homeowners actually need from a stairlift installer

459 cities served
16 counties
1,418,929 residents
21.7% age 65+

Maine is the oldest state in the country — 21.7% of the population is 65 or older, a full percentage point ahead of the runner-up — and the housing stock is as old as the population. The dominant Maine housing types are the Cape Cod (1720s-1820s), the saltbox (1680s-1780s), the Federal-style farmhouse (1790s-1830s), and the Victorian seacaptain home (1850s-1890s). Every one of these has challenges a mainland national chain does not account for. Cape Cod homes have tight winder staircases off the kitchen with 9-inch risers; saltboxes have steep central-chimney staircases with hand-hewn oak treads; Federal farmhouses have narrow central-hall stairs flanked by plaster-and-lath walls; and Victorian seacaptains have ornate walnut balusters and newel posts that cannot be drilled without specialty bits.

The second factor is Maine's winter. Northern Maine (Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Washington counties) sees 50+ days per year below 0°F and ice-storm power outages that routinely last 5-10 days. The January 1998 ice storm left parts of Aroostook County without power for up to 23 days. Standard lithium stairlift batteries rated for 32°F will not start on a typical January morning in Houlton, Caribou, Presque Isle, or Fort Kent. Our Maine fleet ships cold-weather-rated LiFePO4 batteries certified to -30°F on every install north of Augusta — no upcharge, no upsell.

The third factor is Maine's off-grid reality. Thousands of Maine camps and year-round homes in Washington, Hancock, Somerset, and Piscataquis counties are served by single-phase rural distribution lines that fail during every major storm, or are fully off-grid with battery/solar/generator systems. We install DC-compatible chargers that work with off-grid inverters at no upcharge, and our rural Maine installs ship with the 96-hour extended-backup battery that our Louisiana hurricane fleet carries.

Built for the Maine climate

Maine's climate is the most punishing winter environment in the lower 48. Northern Maine averages 50+ days below 0°F each year, and ice-storm outages are measured in weeks, not hours (the 1998 ice storm produced 23-day outages in parts of Aroostook County). Off-the-shelf stairlift batteries rated to 32°F simply do not work. Our Maine fleet ships three standing upgrades: cold-weather-rated LiFePO4 batteries certified to -30°F on every install north of Augusta, 96-hour extended-backup battery capacity standard, and DC-compatible chargers for off-grid camps and homes on failing single-phase rural lines. The cold battery and extended backup together prevent essentially all the winter no-start service calls we used to receive.

Licensing & Permits

Maine does not issue a statewide residential general contractor license — one of the few states that does not. Contractor oversight happens at the municipal level and through insurance verification. That makes verifying local town registration, proof of general liability insurance, and workers compensation especially important before signing. Ask for all three — ours is on every quote.

  1. Maine Home Construction Contracts Act

    Under Maine Revised Statutes Title 10, Chapter 219-A (the Home Construction Contracts Act), any home construction contract over $3,000 must be in writing, signed by both parties, and contain specific disclosures — including the contractor's business address, insurance information, warranty terms, and a 3-day right of rescission for door-to-door contracts. A stairlift install contract that does not comply is unenforceable against the homeowner. Ask to see the written contract before signing.

  2. Maine Electrician Licensing

    Electrical contractors performing dedicated-circuit work for a stairlift must be licensed by the Maine Electricians' Examining Board under the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR). Standard stairlift installs plug into a 120V outlet with no permit needed. If your 1850s Federal farmhouse in Castine or 1920s Cape Cod in Kennebunk has original 60-amp service that cannot support a new dedicated 20-amp circuit, a licensed Maine electrician must pull the permit through your municipal code enforcement office.

  3. Building permit (almost never, but HPC review common)

    Maine's Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) treats stairlifts as mechanical equipment, not structural modifications. No building permit is required in most Maine towns. The exceptions are Portland's Munjoy Hill and West End historic districts, Kennebunk's historic district, and Castine's National Historic Landmark district, where any visible drilling into historic fabric requires Historic Preservation Commission review. We prepare the Certificate of Appropriateness application when your home falls in one of these districts.

  4. HOA and condo association approval

    Less common in rural Maine, but relevant in Portland and South Portland condo buildings, Bar Harbor condos, and year-round communities in Kennebunkport and Cape Elizabeth. Maine follows the federal Fair Housing Act reasonable accommodation standard — condo and HOA boards generally must approve accessibility equipment for disabled residents. We provide the documentation packet at no charge.

Funding & Financial Assistance

Maine programs that help pay for your stairlift

Real programs, real agencies, real phone numbers. We don’t sell leads to funding brokers — we list the actual state and federal paths and help you apply to the ones you qualify for.

Maine Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Waiver MaineCare Section 19 Home and Community Benefits for Members with Other Related Conditions · Section 18 and 20 Waivers (Older Adults)

Medicaid HCBS Waiver — modification cap varies by waiver and plan of care

Covers: Stairlifts as Environmental Modifications under MaineCare HCBS waivers

  • Maine resident, age 65+ or adult with physical disability
  • MaineCare (Medicaid) eligible
  • Assessed at nursing-facility level of care by an OADS Assessing Services Agency (Goold Health Systems contracts as Maine's ASA)
  • Stairlift documented as necessary to remain in the community in the plan of care

Timeline: ASA assessment typically scheduled within 30-45 days of intake. Approval and provider authorization typically 60-90 days total.

Maine runs multiple MaineCare waivers covering different populations — Section 19 for adults with other related conditions, Sections 18 and 20 for older adults. The ASA assessment is run by Goold Health Systems, Maine's contracted Assessing Services Agency. We are a credentialed HCBS provider and handle the environmental modification paperwork.

Maine Department of Health and Human Services · Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS)
Maine OADS: 1-800-262-2232 · MaineCare Member Services: 1-800-977-6740 Program website →

VA HISA Grant Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (federal)

One-time federal grant, not a loan

Covers: Up to $8,150 for service-connected disabilities, up to $2,000 for non-service-connected

  • Enrolled in VA health care
  • Prescription from a VA provider stating the modification is medically necessary
  • Home is the veteran's primary residence

Timeline: Typical turnaround: 6-10 weeks from prescription to approved payment (slightly longer than average due to Maine's geographic spread and the single-facility VA footprint).

Maine has only one VA medical center — Togus, in Augusta, which is the oldest VA facility in the country (established 1866 as the first National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers). Togus serves every Maine veteran plus parts of New Hampshire and Vermont, supplemented by Community Based Outpatient Clinics in Portland, Bangor, Lincoln, Saco, Caribou, Rumford, and Calais. We prefill VA Form 10-0103 for Togus.

VA Maine Healthcare System — Togus VA Medical Center (Augusta)
Togus VA: 207-623-8411 · 1-877-421-8263

Maine Property Tax Fairness Credit Property Tax Fairness Credit (36 MRSA §5219-KK)

Annual refundable state income tax credit

Covers: Not a direct stairlift grant, but refundable tax credit up to $2,000 for qualifying low- and middle-income Maine residents (up to $2,500 for those 65+) — many families apply the annual credit toward stairlift out-of-pocket costs

  • Maine resident who owned or rented a primary residence
  • Paid Maine property tax or rent during the year
  • Household income under the annual threshold
  • File Schedule PTFC/STFC with your Maine income tax return
Frequently Asked

Maine stairlift questions answered

Straight answers from a crew that actually installs in Maine every week.

Do I need a permit to install a stairlift in Maine?
Almost never. Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) treats stairlifts as mechanical equipment rather than structural modifications — the rail bolts into existing stair treads without disturbing joists or walls. No building permit is required in most Maine towns. The exceptions are historic districts in Portland (Munjoy Hill, West End), Kennebunk, Castine, Camden, and a handful of other Midcoast and Downeast towns where visible alterations require HPC review. Electrical permits are only required if we install a new dedicated circuit. We handle both on your behalf when applicable.
How do I verify a stairlift installer is legitimately operating in Maine?
Because Maine does not issue a statewide general contractor license, verification is harder than in most states — you have to check three things. (1) Is there a written contract compliant with the Maine Home Construction Contracts Act (10 MRSA §1486)? (2) Does the contractor carry current general liability insurance and workers compensation? Ask for certificates directly. (3) If the install includes new electrical work, is the electrician licensed through the Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR)? You can verify electrician licenses at maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing.
Does MaineCare pay for stairlifts?
Yes, through Environmental Modifications in MaineCare's HCBS waivers — Section 18 and Section 20 for older adults, Section 19 for adults with other related conditions. The assessment is run by Goold Health Systems, Maine's contracted Assessing Services Agency. Eligibility requires nursing-facility level of care, MaineCare financial eligibility, and the modification documented in your plan of care. Turnaround from first call to installation is typically 60-90 days. We are a credentialed HCBS provider across the Maine waivers.
Will my stairlift even start on a Maine January morning?
Standard off-the-shelf stairlift batteries will not. They are typically lithium packs rated to 32°F, and below freezing their capacity drops roughly 20% per 10°F. In Aroostook County — Presque Isle, Caribou, Houlton, Fort Kent — winter mornings routinely hit -20°F, and the 1998 ice storm dropped Aroostook to -35°F with 23-day power outages. Our Maine fleet ships cold-weather-rated LiFePO4 batteries certified to -30°F standard on every install north of Augusta. No upcharge. Combined with our 96-hour extended-backup capacity, the lift starts on the coldest morning and runs through the longest ice-storm outage.
I live in a 1780s saltbox in Castine — can a stairlift fit my center-chimney staircase?
Maybe — it depends on the specific staircase. Saltbox homes have steep central-chimney staircases with narrow winder treads and low headroom. In many saltboxes the staircase cannot physically accommodate a standard rail, and the solution is either a through-floor platform lift installed in an unused closet or a repositioning of the staircase handrail to clear the rail path. We walk every historic Maine home before quoting and tell you honestly whether a standard stairlift will work, whether a custom curved rail is needed, or whether a through-floor lift is the right answer. Castine is a National Historic Landmark district, so any solution also needs HPC review — we handle the application.
I'm a veteran in Maine — how do I get the VA to pay?
Maine has only one VA medical center — Togus, in Augusta, which is the oldest VA facility in the country (established 1866). Togus serves every Maine veteran, supplemented by Community Based Outpatient Clinics in Portland, Bangor, Saco, Lincoln, Rumford, Calais, and Caribou. Start at whichever CBOC is closer and request a HISA — Home Improvements and Structural Alterations — consult with your primary care team. A VA provider writes a prescription stating the stairlift is medically necessary. Service-connected disability covers up to $8,150; non-service-connected covers up to $2,000. Turnaround in Maine is 6-10 weeks, slightly longer than the mainland average because everything routes through a single facility.
Do you cover Aroostook County and the off-grid camps?
Yes, every Maine county including Aroostook (The County), Piscataquis, and Washington (Downeast). Our northern Maine crew runs out of Bangor, which puts Presque Isle, Caribou, Houlton, and Fort Kent within reach but adds a 3-day scheduling window in winter because of ice and weather. Off-grid camp installs with solar/battery/generator power are routine — we install DC-compatible chargers that work with off-grid inverters. No rural travel surcharge. Every northern Maine install gets the -30°F cold battery and 96-hour backup standard because the climate is not optional.
Maine Coverage

Ready for your Maine home assessment?

Free in-home visit within 48 hours in Portland and Midcoast Maine, within 5-7 days anywhere else in the state including The County. A fully insured installer measures your staircase, walks you through the options, and writes a Maine Home Construction Contracts Act-compliant quote honored for 30 days. No deposit, no obligation. Cold-weather battery and ice-storm backup are standard north of Augusta — because Maine winter is not an upsell opportunity.

Or call (800) XXX-XXXX Mon–Fri 8am–6pm · Sat 9am–2pm
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