Home Elevator Cost in Massachusetts
- Typical installed price, 2 floors (US)
- $30,000–$50,000
- Our estimate for Massachusetts, 2 floors
- $32,000–$55,000
- US range, cheapest to dearest kind
- $20,000–$60,000
- Massachusetts state fee
- $40 permit plus $10 per $1,000
Ask whether your installer's quote already includes the Massachusetts state fee.
: If you own and live in a single-family house, no yearly inspection is needed
Installed Price by Kind of Lift
Installed for two floors. Our Massachusetts estimate moves each US price by the same share as the state's two-floor estimate (electricians' pay against the US).
| Kind of lift | Our estimate in Massachusetts, 2 floors |
|---|---|
 Shaftless home elevator | $21,000–$39,000 |
 Small one person lift | $27,000–$33,000 |
 Hydraulic elevator | $27,000–$62,000 |
 Traction or cable elevator | $29,000–$55,000 |
 Through floor lift | $32,000–$66,000 |
 Pneumatic vacuum elevator | $37,000–$66,000 |
Installed for two floors. Also priced: a platform lift (an open platform, not an enclosed elevator) $5,000–$20,000, and a glass elevator $50,000–$100,000. Yearly service: $300–$760 (Angi).
Rules and Installer Pay in Massachusetts
- State permit or inspection
- Partly: a permit and an acceptance test; no yearly inspection
- Licensed installer for home work
- Yes: a mechanic licensed by the state
- Electrician pay
- $38.18 an hour (US $30.38)
- Permit and acceptance test
- you must have both before use
- State help to pay in Massachusetts
- Low-cost loan
Rules set by the Massachusetts Board of Elevator Regulations and the Office of Public Safety and Inspections.
The typical price is the middle of 51 published US prices for two floors (HomeGuide alone quotes $30,000 to $60,000). How the figures are built.
Expect a home elevator to cost between $30,000 and $50,000 once installed, the national range, with a Massachusetts permit fee of a few hundred dollars on top. Your price turns on the kind of lift, how many floors it serves, and whether your home needs a shaft built from scratch. The shaft is the enclosed column that houses the elevator as it moves.
Call us today for a written quote that shows the lift price, any shaft work, and the state permit fee, since Massachusetts requires a permit before installation begins.
What Does Each Kind of Lift Cost?
More than almost anything else, the lift you pick sets the final bill. Below are the usual installed ranges, taken from the middle of published prices:
Nationally, an elevator for a two-story house runs $30,000 to $60,000, per HomeGuide. Each extra floor beyond two adds roughly $9,000 to $15,000.
If your existing home needs a new shaft, add $5,000 to $25,000, per Willow Home. A written quote after someone visits your home will show which of these numbers apply to you.
State Permit Fees
Before installation, Massachusetts requires a state elevator permit issued by the Board of Elevator Regulations. The fee works out to a flat $40 for the installation itself, and then $10 for every $1,000 the contract is worth, under the state fee rules.
On a $40,000 contract, that works out to about $440 in permit fees. Need a second copy of your inspection certificate? That's $25.
How the State Handles Permits and Inspections
Massachusetts treats a home elevator like any other elevator, so there are two steps to know: a permit before work starts and a test afterward. Under state law, a home elevator, wheelchair lift, or dumbwaiter must be permitted, then inspected and tested after it is installed, altered, or modernized.
A licensed elevator mechanic performs the acceptance test with a state inspector present. The test confirms the lift meets state code before you start using it. That code is the state elevator code, which is built on a national safety standard with Massachusetts-specific changes.
If the elevator sits in an owner-occupied single-family home, the annual inspection that applies to other elevators does not apply. But if you run a home lift with no permit or certificate, you could be fined as much as $5,000, and that penalty covers home dumbwaiters, limited use elevators, and wheelchair lifts with 25 feet of travel or less.
Stair Lifts Follow Different Rules
An inclined stair lift in a home is not an elevator under state law. No state permit or inspection is needed, per Massachusetts law. Wheelchair lifts are different, though, because the law includes those.
Who's Allowed to Install One in Massachusetts?
Anyone who constructs, maintains, or repairs elevators in Massachusetts must hold a state license, and private homes do not get a pass. A handyman can't legally do this job, and the typical licensed installer in Massachusetts is paid about $66.55 an hour at the midpoint, per BLS data.
Help Paying for a Lift
Some Massachusetts programs can ease the up-front cost:
- Home Modification Loan Program: MassAbility lends money for accessibility projects at no interest, with repayment deferred, when a household includes a person with a disability or someone over 60. Stair lifts and platform lifts count as eligible work.
- Alternative Finance Program: Easterseals Massachusetts with MassAbility provides low-interest loans and zero-interest Mini Loans from $100 to $4,000.
When you call, ask us how these loans can work alongside your quote.
Get Your Price in Writing
Call now for a written quote that shows the lift price, any shaft work, and the state permit fee before you make a decision. Nothing can be installed until the state permit is in place, so calling today is the fastest way to get started.
Sources: middle of published US price ranges, Massachusetts elevator rule (Massachusetts Board of Elevator Regulations and the Office of Public Safety and Inspections), BLS wage figures for Massachusetts, Home Modification Loan Program.
Nearby states: Connecticut · New Hampshire · New York · Rhode Island · Vermont
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