Yes, that is the case in some states, but the installation still needs to meet code. If a contractor wires it, the insurance co. can go after the contractor if something happens..........if a homeowner does it and decides to throw local code to the wind, he just doesn't collect if something happens (and the insurance co. can prove it)........just hope it doesn't end up as a wrongful death............like the guy in Connecticut some years ago.......wired a baseboard heater in a basement......broke _19_ codes rules......4 year old child killed in the fire.......guy got convicted of manslaughter. Sorry, don't have the reference, but I'm sure that it's not hard to find......I just remember reading about it.