N.C. Gen. Stat. § 106-451.21

A warehouseman conducting a warehouse licensed under this Article, in the absence of some lawful excuse, shall, without unnecessary delay, deliver the cotton stored therein upon a demand made either by the holder of a receipt for such cotton or by the depositor thereof if such demand be accompanied with (a) an offer to satisfy the warehouseman's lien; (b) an offer to surrender the receipt, if negotiable, with such endorsements as would be necessary for the negotiation of the receipt; and (c) a readiness and willingness to sign, when the cotton is delivered, an acknowledgment that it has been delivered if such signature is requested by the warehouseman.