Historic districts or zones may be established by a county or municipal legislative body, either as a part of a new zoning ordinance or as an amendment to existing ordinances. For the purpose of this part, “historic district or zone” is defined as a geographically definable area which possesses a significant individual structure or a concentration, linkage or continuity of sites, buildings, structures or objects which are united by past events or aesthetically by plan or physical development, and which meets one (1) or more of the following criteria:

(1) It is associated with an event which has made a significant contribution to local, state, or national history;
(2) It includes structures associated with the lives of persons significant in local, state, or national history;
(3) It contains structures or groups of structures which embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction;
(4) It has yielded or may be likely to yield archaeological information important in history or prehistory; or
(5) It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.