Home Elevator Cost in Rhode Island

Most of the price comes down to which kind of lift you choose. The figures in this table are typical installed prices, based on a wide range of published estimates.

The shaft is the enclosed column that the elevator rides up and down inside. If your house is already standing, putting in a shaft means an extra $5,000 to $25,000 on the bill. Every floor past two adds another $9,000 to $15,000.

Across the country, an elevator for a two-story home runs $30,000 to $60,000, per HomeGuide. A written quote will give you a price for your house, which may fall outside these typical ranges.

Putting in an elevator takes electrical work, and usually carpentry too, to frame the shaft or open up a floor. Rhode Island electricians make a median $35.62 per hour, compared with $30.38 nationwide. Carpenters in the state make $29.25 an hour at the median, per federal wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The state's elevator law mostly skips over private residences. But since June 2023, the state's chief elevator inspector has to perform a final acceptance inspection on every new or altered home elevator before it goes into service. It happens once, before you use the lift. No recurring annual inspection is required by the law for home elevators.

Before anything gets installed, an application with drawings must be sent to the DLT Elevator Unit, part of the Department of Labor and Training, and win approval. The permit fee equals 1% of the contract value. Stairlifts and platform lifts are covered by the same application as elevators, and it gets filed in two copies.

Here is what the state charges:

• Elevator inspection: $120
• Wheelchair-lift inspection: $72
• Elevator reinspection: $90

That second visit only happens if the inspector had to come back, so if your lift passes the first time, you skip the $90.

Once the final acceptance inspection is done, you have to register the elevator with DLT. The state tracks home elevators in a database, and that registration requirement took effect on June 19, 2023.

Any Rhode Island company that builds, installs, services, or repairs elevators needs a DLT licence, which runs $240. Mechanic and installer licences from the state cost $78 each. The state hasn't made clear how these licences apply to home elevators, so ask any dealer for their licence details up front.

Every new elevator and lift has to meet the state's safety code, which is built on national safety standards.

The state's RI Livable Home Modification Grant, which the Governor's Commission on Disabilities administers, reimburses 50% of the cost of accessibility upgrades for someone with a disability, capped at $4,500. Even a project over $8,000 tops out at $4,500. You pay the whole bill first and get reimbursed after, so budget for the full amount.

The Rhode Island Assistive Technology Access Partnership, run through the state's Office of Rehabilitation Services as part of its assistive technology program, is another place to ask about help.

Your cost depends on the type of lift, how many floors you have, and whether a shaft needs building. A local dealer will measure your house and hand you a written price that keeps the permit and inspection charges in mind. Call us to connect with a local dealer and get a written price for your home.