The NEC is the National Electric Code, but jurisdictions can adopt it in while, in part, or change any part they want for local use (depending on what authority they have, especially in Dillon Rule states). The small appliance branch circuits under the NEC are restricted to the wall-counter space receptacles in the kitchen, and with just a few exceptions (gas range, refrigerator if you really want to (IIRC)) but NO other outlets are allowed. No garbage disposals, dishwashers, lights, receptacles NOT on the wall-counter space. It is easy enough to overload the circuits with counter appliances that ARE allowed without allowing them to go anywhere else. Coffee makers, toasters, toaster ovens, and microwaves ca overload ONE of the circuits easily enough to cause nuisance tripping. By making sure appliances commonly used together are on the two separate circuits a lot of nuisance tripping can be eliminated. It can still be a problem if you try to use the microwave with a large kitchen mixer on the same circuit. If the two appliances are both started at the same time it may trip (both pull more power ant initial start up). Many kitchen appliances are very close to 15 amps (1800 watts) and at least part of the time may be over that briefly. Put two of them on the same 20 amp circuit and a nuisance trip is possible. The fact that many also cycle on and off in operation (microwave on less than 100% output, coffee makers pot heater, taster oven on temperature setting below full blast) and you may go weeks with little problem, and then have it happen almost daily, and then even stop again. If you have a lot of higher power kitchen appliances that may get used together you could even consider more than the minimum required two circuits.

Hi, I put in some LED strip UCL from a kit that I saw and bought at my local ACE Hardware. It was ~$40 for three strips of "warm white" LEDs. it has a thumbwheel off/on --not dimmable-- and the transformer is on the plug into the wall. If you want dimmable or to have a regular light switch (and you don't have electrical experience), then this is *not* the kit for you. The link below to Amazon looks like the same product that I bought from ACE, though the Amazon is named AmerTac and the ACE was named Amerelle. I liked buying at the local store so I could make sure it all worked and the LED light colors all matched or I could take it back easily. (This ACE is in a town of ~5k so I'm sure an actual city would have even more choices!) I have only one upper cabinet for which I wanted UCL so this kit has worked very well for me and I don't care about dimming in my non-open galley kitchen. Some future project will have DH drill a hole in the cabinet to route the plug into the extra outlet by the hood and re-do the wiring to a switch rather than the thumbwheel but that takes the electrical experience he has, not me! The lighting forum has *lots* of info on dimmable UCL if you search that forum. HTH Here is a link that might be useful: looks the same as what I bought

Just remember that if you put the outlets under the uppers, cords will run up to the uppers. Seems to me that is a good solution only if you are a clean countertop person who removes countertop appliances immediately after usage; if you are like me and leave them out and plugged in, you're gonna have a lot of visual interruption of that fancy backsplash with cords for coffee pot, mixer, blender, toaster oven, food processor, toaster, telephone charger, computer charger, induction hot plate. Lotsa cords.

Ikea carries various LED UCL lines. "Utrusta" gets hardwired and comes with outlets. Check them out here: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00288332/