AFCI- washer in unfinished basement?

[sw_ross]

Older home getting a re-make. Washer and dryer are getting moved to the unfinished basement.
The basement is a completely open unhabitable space.

Because the washer is down there now does it get classified as a "laundry area" requiring AFCI protection?

 

[tom baker]

Laundry area reqs GFCI for recpts, including dryer, under 2020 NEC, and AFCI for laundry area. Consider dual function breaker for 20A ckts.
If not 2020 NEC then check what requirements are, I tend to forget previous codes

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Laundry area reqs GFCI for recpts, including dryer, under 2020 NEC, and AFCI for laundry area. Consider dual function breaker for 20A ckts.
If not 2020 NEC then check what requirements are, I tend to forget previous codes

AFCIs have been required for the laundry area since the 2014 code. There has been no change in the areas of dwelling units that require AFCI protection since the 2104 code.

Note if you have the first printing of the 2020 NFPA NEC handbook, you may be lead to believe that all dwelling unit circuits require AFCI protection, but the code language in the handbook is not correct.