Vertical platform lifts in Naples

Who this is for

VPLs suit wheelchair and scooter users whose home has a rise that is too high for a short ramp, such as a raised coastal home or a front door several steps up.

Do vertical platform lifts in Naples need a permit?

Wheelchair lifts in private residences are outside Florida's elevator law, so a lift at your Naples home needs local building and electrical permits from Collier County's Building Permits and Construction office or your city. Lifts at shared condo entrances are regulated by the state bureau directly.

Raised homes with the living floor well above grade are common here, and a vertical platform lift or outdoor elevator is often the only practical way to the front door without a very long ramp.[6][7][8]

Naples houses and vertical platform lifts

About 43 percent of Collier homes and 58 percent in neighbouring Lee County are detached houses. Many newer homes are single-storey on a raised slab or raised fully above a garage, so the climb is often outside the house.

Collier's housing is young: about 46 percent of homes were built in 2000 or later, and the median home dates from 1998. Newer homes often have wider stairs and stronger walls, which can make a stair lift or elevator simpler to fit than in older South Florida houses.

About 34 percent of Collier County residents are 65 or older, and 29 percent in Lee County, the highest shares of the areas we serve. Planning a lift early lets a household choose the model and wait out lead times without pressure.[4][9][10]

Help paying for a vertical platform lift in Collier

HISA excludes porch lifts, but eligible veterans can ask about the Special Home Adaptation grant (up to $25,350 in fiscal year 2026) or Specially Adapted Housing grant through VA Bay Pines health care, which runs the Naples VA Clinic. Medicaid long-term care screening in Collier is on (239) 652-6900.[11][12][5][13]

What is different about a home lift in Naples?

Storm surge shapes everything here. Hurricane Ian brought 6 to 9 feet of inundation to Naples and 8 to 12 feet to Bonita Springs and North Naples, and the Naples Pier tide gauge recorded 6.18 feet above high tide before it was destroyed. FEMA expects a float switch or equal system on any elevator whose cab could descend below the base flood elevation, with pumps and controls kept above that level where possible.

Collier is outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, so outdoor lifts follow the standard Florida wind rules; the surge, salt and sun are what shorten their life.[3][15][2]

Permits in Naples

• Collier County Building Permits and Construction: Building and electrical permits for unincorporated Collier County. The City of Naples and Marco Island issue permits inside their limits; check with your building department for the submittal list.
• Florida DBPR Bureau of Elevator Safety: Regulates covered elevators directly in Collier and Lee, such as lifts in shared condo areas ($325 to install a regulated conveyance). Lifts serving only one family residence are not regulated by the bureau.

What space does a VPL need?

• A level, solid base, often a small concrete pad
• Room for the platform plus a gate at each level
• Clear space to roll on and off at the top and bottom
• An outdoor power supply on its own circuit, sited above likely flood water

Open frame or enclosed?

An open frame costs less and suits a few feet of rise. Higher rises usually need an enclosure. In Miami-Dade and Broward, which are in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, enclosure panels and doors must meet the stricter product rules there.[2]

Frequently asked questions