In this title the following words have the meanings indicated.
“Appurtenance and environmental setting” includes:
paved or unpaved walkways and driveways;
trees;
landscaping;
pastures;
croplands;
waterways; and
rocks.
“Commission” includes a historic district commission or a historic preservation commission.
“Demolition” includes any willful neglect in the maintenance and repair of a structure, other than the appurtenance and environmental setting of the structure, that:
is not due to a financial inability to maintain and repair the structure; and
threatens to result in a substantial deterioration of the exterior features of the structure.
“District” means a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, structures, or objects united historically or aesthetically by plan or development.
“Person” includes a unit of local government.
“Routine maintenance” means work that:
does not alter the exterior fabric or features of a site or structure; and
has no material effect on the historical, archaeological, or architectural significance of the site or structure.
“Site” means the location of:
an event of historic significance; or
a structure or ruin that possesses historic, archaeological, or cultural significance.
“Structure” means a combination of material to form a construction that is stable.
“Structure” includes:
a building;
a stadium;
a reviewing stand;
a platform;
staging;
an observation tower;
a radio tower;
a water tank or tower;
a trestle;
a bridge;
a pier;
paving;
a bulkhead;
a wharf;
a shed;
a coal bin;
a shelter;
a fence;
a display sign that is visible or intended to be visible from a public way; and
a part of a structure.
It is a public purpose in the State to preserve sites, structures, and districts of historical, archaeological, or architectural significance and their appurtenances and environmental settings.
The preservation of a designated structure under this title includes preservation of an associated:
natural land formation; and
appurtenance and environmental setting.
This title may not be construed to prevent routine maintenance, customary farming operations, or landscaping that does not have a material effect on the historic, archaeological, or architectural significance of a designated site, structure, or district.
The legislative body of each local jurisdiction, by local law, may regulate:
the construction, reconstruction, alteration, moving, and demolition of sites or structures of historical, archaeological, or architectural significance;
the construction, reconstruction, alteration, moving, and demolition of sites and structures within districts; and
the appurtenances and environmental settings of sites and structures within the limits of the local jurisdiction.
The purpose of a local law adopted under this section is to:
safeguard the heritage of the local jurisdiction by preserving sites, structures, or districts that reflect elements of cultural, social, economic, political, archaeological, or architectural history;
stabilize and improve the property values of those sites, structures, or districts;
foster civic beauty;
strengthen the local economy; and
promote the preservation and appreciation of those sites, structures, and districts for the education and welfare of the residents of each local jurisdiction.
For the purposes of this title, each local jurisdiction may designate boundaries for sites, structures, and districts that are considered to be of historic, archaeological, or architectural significance, by following the procedures of the local jurisdiction for establishing or changing zoning districts and classifications.