North and Central New Jersey, from Bergen and Passaic Counties down through Morris, Essex, Union, Somerset and Middlesex to Monmouth and Ocean
Wheelchair Ramps and Step-Free Entries in North and Central NJ
A way into the house with no steps, for a wheelchair, a walker or someone who can no longer manage the stoop, planned around the permit and any association rules before anyone builds.
Wheelchair Ramps quote
Tell us which door, how many steps and who needs to get in. We will work out what approvals the job needs and connect you with a registered contractor to measure it. There is no obligation.
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An entrance with no steps, and the approvals behind it
What you get is an entrance that works without steps: a ramp that fits the lot, a rebuilt stoop with a landing big enough to open the door from, or a raised sill and a single step leveled out of the way. The part families rarely hear about is the approval. New Jersey's construction code treats repairing part of an existing stoop in similar materials as ordinary maintenance, but building or fully replacing a porch or stoop is minor work that needs notice to the town and a permit application, and a new ramp appears in neither list. In an adult community, a condominium or a townhouse development, the association usually has a say over the outside of the home as well. We work out which of these applies before anyone quotes, then connect you with a registered local contractor to build it.
- Modular aluminum ramps, bolted together in sections, that can be adjusted, extended or taken away later
- Permanent wood ramps framed on footings, with handrails and landings
- Concrete ramps and sloped walkways built into the entrance
- Rebuilt stoops and front steps with a landing large enough to stand on while the door opens
- Threshold ramps and regraded paths that remove a single step or a raised sill
- Switchback and L-shaped layouts where the rise is too high for one straight run
- Handrails on both sides of ramps and steps, and lighting at the entrance
- Garage ramps from the garage floor up to the house door, which can avoid the front steps altogether
- Short-term ramp rental for a recovery period
What sets the length, the material and the paperwork
Every ramp starts with one number, the height from the ground to the door. After that it is where the ramp can run, how long it is needed and who has to approve it.
The height from the ground to the door
The rise decides the length. The federal accessibility guidance used as a reference sets a maximum slope of 1 in 12, a foot of ramp for every inch of rise, with a level landing at the end of every run of up to 30 inches of rise, and it recommends a gentler slope outdoors. A stoop of three steps can need a ramp longer than the front walk.
Where there is room to run it
A straight run along the front of the house, a switchback beside it, or a ramp inside the garage. Where it can go on the lot, and how close it comes to the property line, is worth raising with the town's zoning office as well as the construction office.
Temporary or permanent
A modular aluminum ramp can come away when it is no longer needed, which is why it is a common choice for a recovery. A framed or concrete ramp becomes part of the house. The choice changes the price, the approval and, for some programs, whether they will pay: the VA's HISA benefit includes permanent ramping but excludes portable ramps.
Who uses it, and how
A power wheelchair, a manual chair pushed by someone else and a person walking with a walker each need a different width, surface and landing. The reference guidance calls for 36 inches clear between handrails, with handrails on both sides once the rise passes six inches.
Whether the home is in an association
In an adult community, a condominium or a townhouse development, the outside of the home is often not the owner's alone to change. Ask for the association's approval process before a contractor draws anything. Some programs also stop at the association's ground: NJ FamilyCare's modification benefit excludes public areas of communities governed by a homeowner association.
What the door and landing are like at the top
A ramp has to arrive somewhere the door can be opened without the person rolling backward. That often means a bigger landing at the top, a different storm door, or a wider opening, which is its own job.
Know how many steps? That is most of the answer
Send the number of steps and a photo from the side. We will tell you what kind of ramp or entry the house can take.
From a photo of the steps to an inspected ramp
Tell us about the entrance
Which door, how many steps, what is in front of it, and who has to get in. A photo from the street and one of the steps from the side help most. Say if it is needed by a date.
We work out what approval it needs
A repair to an existing stoop, a new stoop or a new ramp, and whether an association has a say. You hear this before anyone visits.
A registered contractor measures and prices it
They measure the rise, check where the ramp can land and give you a written price. Any home improvement contract over $500 has to be written, signed, and show the contractor's registration number.
You decide, and you can still change your mind
Nothing has to be signed at the visit. If you sign, you can cancel for any reason until midnight of the third business day after you receive your copy, by written notice.
Notice, permit and association sign-off
For minor work such as a new stoop, the town has to be notified before work begins and a permit application filed within five business days. Ask the contractor to show you what was filed, and have the association's approval in writing before anything is built.
Built, inspected and handed over
The ramp goes in, the town inspects whatever it permitted, and you receive copies of any inspection certificates before the final payment is due.
Wheelchair Ramps work we have arranged
What wheelchair ramps looks like
Outside the job, and when a full ramp is more than you need
When you may not need this at all
- If there is one low step or a raised sill, a threshold ramp or a small regrade may do what a full ramp would.
- If the garage floor sits close to the level of the house door, a short ramp inside the garage can be simpler than building out the front.
- If the need is for a few weeks of recovery, a rented modular ramp may be enough, and it comes away afterward.
- If the person can still manage steps with support, a second handrail and better lighting at the entrance may be the change to make first.
- If a ramp will not fit the lot, a vertical platform lift can raise a wheelchair from the driveway to the door in far less space. That is a lift job, on our stairlifts and home lifts page.
What is out of scope
- Ramps for commercial, public or apartment building entrances.
- Driveway paving and landscaping beyond what the ramp needs to meet the ground.
- Wheelchairs, scooters or other mobility equipment. We do not supply them.
- Applying to a funding program for you. The program decides who qualifies.
- Portable folding ramps you can buy and carry yourself. Those need no contractor.
What people ask before a ramp is built
Does a wheelchair ramp need a permit in New Jersey?
Plan on the town needing to know. Repairing part of an existing stoop in similar materials is ordinary maintenance, but building or fully replacing a porch or stoop is minor work that needs notice and a permit application, and the state's list of ordinary maintenance does not name a new ramp. What your job needs depends on the design and the town, so ask the contractor to confirm it with the local construction office.
How long does a ramp have to be?
At the steepest slope the federal reference guidance allows, 1 in 12, it is about a foot of ramp for every inch of rise, with a level landing at the end of each run of up to 30 inches of rise and a landing at least 60 by 60 inches wherever the ramp turns. The same guidance suggests a gentler slope outdoors. The ADA does not govern a private house, so these are a reference rather than a rule, and a useful one.
Aluminum, wood or concrete?
Aluminum modular ramps need little upkeep and can be removed or reused. Wood can be built to an awkward layout and matched to a porch, and needs maintenance. Concrete is permanent and becomes part of the house and the lot. The right one depends on how long it is needed and how it has to look.
Who pays for a ramp?
Often the household, but there is help. IRS Publication 502 lists entrance and exit ramps among home changes whose cost can count as a medical expense, deductible only above 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income. The VA's HISA benefit includes permanent ramping for eligible veterans, VA housing grants give ramps as an example, and NJ FamilyCare's residential modifications benefit names ramps, up to $15,000 over a lifetime, through providers the member's plan has approved. Each program decides who qualifies.
We live in an adult community. What changes?
Usually the association has a say over anything outside the unit, so get its approval process in hand first. Some towns add a step of their own: Manchester Township requires a zoning permit, with a scaled plot plan showing the setbacks, for almost all building and renovation work.
Can a ramp be taken out later?
A modular aluminum ramp can, and that is why it is common for a recovery after surgery. A framed or concrete ramp can be removed too, but that is a demolition job and the steps have to be put back.
Get in and out of the house without the steps
One request, a registered contractor who measures the rise, a written price and no obligation.