Would you consider a kitchen pantry a "closet", as described in 210.12, requiring any lighting and receptacle outlets located there to be on AFCI protected circuits.
Or do you consider a pantry storage space as kitchen, not requiring the AFCI protection.

NEC requires the pantry to be on a 'small appliance branch circuit,' so the AFCI rules don't apply - as I see it.

I agree Reno, and the code reference would be 210.52(B)(1).

Yes, but dining room receptacles are required to be on a small appliance branch circuit and AFCI protection is required for those as well as for the lighting outlets in that room.

If the pantry space is truly considered a part of the kitchen then I agree, but if the pantry is just considered a closet or similar area and not actually part of the kitchen, then I believe it would have to be treated similar to a dining room.

I think by definition a pantry is generally considered part of a traditional kitchen, but I was sort of hoping that maybe there had been a formal interpretation of this made somewhere.

A very good catch, kj ... the dining room is listed under both requirements!

Since the counter is required to be served by two different circuits, this could have the unintended result that half of the counter will be AFCI protected, in addition to GFCI protection.

All 120-volt, single phase, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets installed in dwelling unit .... closets, hallways, or similar rooms or areas shall be protected by a listed arc-fault circuit interrupter, combination-type, installed to provide protection of the branch circuit.

The 2008 is asking for ALL of the outlets that are in dwelling including closets or similar rooms.

I can't imagine anyone installing a non AFCI dedicated lighting circuit just for the kitchen or the pantry.

Nico, my 2008 NEC does not say that; there are many areas listed - and just as notable are the areas not listed as rewuiring AFVI protection. Kitchen, pantry, etc., areas are not included in the list of places that require AFCI's.

Reno,
I Know that the kitchen is not required to be AFCI protected. But the code does say that ALL outlets in dwelling closets and similar rooms shall be AFCI protected. so when I said (typed) ALL i was referring to closets and similar rooms. in this case i would say that a pantry is a similar room to closet.

Am i wrong on this?

I can see where, in a particular installation, the 'pantry' is but a closet. I was thinking - as we probably all tend to do - of the last job, where the 'pantry' had a counter, sink,refrigerator, dishwasher, and cabinets of it's own.

I suppose it comes down to the specific plan, and it's a judgement call. After all, 'closets' need not have any receptacles. If the 'pantry' area has a counter, it seems reasonable to apply kitchen counter receptacle spacing and GFCI rules to it.

Once again, architects have managed to design past the constraints of the language

Depending on the job, I will often run non-afci circuits for kitchen, laundry, bathrooms, basement, garage, outside lighting and outside receptacles.
I just plan out my wire runs in advance.
AFCI’s are usually nothing but trouble for outside receptacles, especially when the HO wants to use power tools or run a shop-vac for vacuuming out the car.
Some of the houses I wire have several circuits just for the kitchen lighting and at $45.00 each for a CAFCI circuit breaker, it can add up to several hundred dollars in savings for a large house. Less AFCI’s also has the added advantage of cutting down on those future trouble shooting problems due to AFCI nuisance tripping.