(a) A cotton gin, cotton warehouse, cotton merchant, or cotton marketing cooperative or association shall, on or before July 1 of each year, file an application for registration on a form provided by the Commissioner of Agriculture. A fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) shall be submitted with each application.

(b) An application for registration as a cotton warehouse shall also be accompanied by a bond in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) issued by a company authorized to issue surety bonds in North Carolina and shall be conditioned upon fulfillment of contractual obligations related to the purchase or storage of cotton. A bond shall not be required for a person who is licensed and bonded under the U.S. Warehouse Act.

(c) The registration certificate shall be conspicuously displayed at the place of business. (1999-412, s. 1.)