Friendly Neighborhood Handyman checking in here. Average Home Depot customer? Absolutely not unless there's some plan to quadruple suburban emergency services budgets. On the other hand I get pretty tired of sneaking around local restrictions on electrical work. Residential electrical work isn't exactly complex and I can't devote a couple years to working as someone else's laborer to get a cert. I'm perfectly capable of handling 100% of a residential solar install (including battery backup) and it's aggravating af to have to go find an electrician to bribe to get permits and inspections.
My work meets or exceeds code requirements, every project, every time. If I encounter anything where I don't already have relevant code committed to memory I stop what I'm doing and go look it up. How many tradesmen do you know that can say the same with a straight face? Anyway I'm fine with pulling permits and having my work inspected, I prefer it even when possible.
Around here you can buy a permit if you’re a homeowner. You then have to set up the inspections and actually do all the work properly, but there are no restrictions like that. The inspecting agency publishes documentation about what to read and common pitfalls even.
I can pull my own permits for carpentry and masonry work, structural stuff, but that's about it, and only for my personal residence. Homeowners here are barred from systems work of any kind, and it takes a contractor's license to pull permits when working on someone else's home.
I see how you'd think that but it isn't the case. Where I live only licensed electricians are allowed to do any work more involved than changing a light fixture. As an example I've got a 1600 square foot detached shop on property I recently purchased. There isn't six inches of wiring in the entire building that is up to code. My options are ignore it and risk a fire or electrocution, spend >$15,000 to get the building rewired, or spend $3,000 on materials and risk a life-altering fine and/or jailtime if I get caught fixing it myself.
I'd be satisfied if I could simply sit the licensure exam and maybe have to pay extra to do some kind of practical demonstration. Local requirements for residential licensure include documented multi-year experience as an electrician's helper before you can even apply to take the exam.
Ironically batteries is what makes it feasible - I can dump excess into battery instead of paying 3x more for install so I get hooked up to grid in a certified way.
