N.C. Gen. Stat. § 156-6: Right of owner to fence; entry for repairs.

Any proprietor, through or on whose land such canal or ditch may be cut or embankment raised, may put a fence or make paths across the same, provided the usefulness thereof be not impaired; and the owner of the canal, ditch, or dam, his heirs and assigns, shall at all times have free access to the same for the purpose of making and repairing them; doing thereby no unnecessary damage to the lands of the proprietors. (1795, c. 436, s. 2, P.R.; 1835, c. 7; 1852, c. 57, ss. 1, 2; R.C., c. 40, s. 4; Code, s. 1300; Rev., s. 3986; C.S., s. 5265.)