Outdoor stair lifts in Boca Raton

Who this is for

An outdoor lift suits someone who can sit and transfer but cannot manage the steps up to the front door. A wheelchair user needs a porch lift or vertical platform lift instead.

Do outdoor stair lifts in Boca Raton need a permit?

A stair lift inside your Boca Raton home is outside Florida's elevator law. We have not found a published Boca Raton or Palm Beach County rule on stair lift permits, so check with your building department (the city's Building Division, or the county's for unincorporated addresses) or ask the installer to before fitting.

In condo buildings, a lift in a shared stairwell is not a private residence lift. Palm Beach County has no contracted elevator office, so the state bureau handles those directly.[6][7][8][9]

Boca Raton houses and outdoor stair lifts

About 43 percent of Boca Raton homes are detached houses. Mediterranean-style two-storey homes with curved staircases are a familiar Boca Raton type, and they are where curved stair lifts and compact elevators come in.

About 24 percent of Boca Raton residents, and 25 percent across Palm Beach County, are 65 or older, well above the share in Miami-Dade or Broward. Many lifts here are planned for long daily use, so seat comfort, battery life and service matter as much as price.

About 43 percent of Boca Raton homes were built before 1980, against 33 percent across Palm Beach County. Older homes may need a new circuit or some framing before a lift goes in, which the survey checks.[10][4][11]

Help paying for an outdoor stair lift in Palm Beach County

Medicare usually does not pay for stair lifts, and the VA's HISA benefit excludes stair glides. For Medicaid long-term care in Palm Beach County (Region G), the first call is to the Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast on (561) 684-5885. Veterans can ask the Thomas H. Corey VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach about other help.[12][13][14][5][15]

What is different about a home lift in Palm Beach County?

Palm Beach County is outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, which covers only Miami-Dade and Broward, so the stricter High Velocity Hurricane Zone product rules that apply a few miles south do not apply here. Coastal and Intracoastal homes should still check their flood zone and plan any elevator with a float switch if its cab could descend below the base flood elevation.

In condo buildings, a lift that serves shared areas is not a private residence lift. In Palm Beach County the state elevator bureau issues those permits directly, at $325 to install a regulated conveyance, and only registered elevator companies can apply.[3][2][9][16][6]

Permits in Boca Raton

• City of Boca Raton Building Permits: Local building and electrical permits for work inside homes in the city.
• Florida DBPR Bureau of Elevator Safety: Regulates covered elevators directly in Palm Beach County, such as lifts in shared condo areas. Lifts serving only one family residence are not regulated by the bureau.

Stair lift, ramp or porch lift?

Fixr puts a wheelchair ramp at $1,700 to $5,000 and says the ADA recommends a slope no steeper than 1:12 in new construction, which means 12 inches of ramp for every inch of rise. A porch five steps high needs a very long ramp, which is when an outdoor stair lift or porch lift starts to make sense.[18]

Looking after an outdoor lift in Florida

• Keep the weather cover on when the lift is parked
• Rinse salt spray off the rail if you live near the coast, if the maker allows it
• Park the chair and charge it fully before a storm
• Book a yearly service; Fixr puts stair lift maintenance at $100 to $200 a year

Frequently asked questions