This invention provides a system and method for finding multiple line features in an image. Two related steps are used to identify line features. First, the process computes x and y-components of the gradient field at each image location, projects the gradient field over a plurality subregions, and detects a plurality of gradient extrema, yielding a plurality of edge points with position and gradient. Next, the process iteratively chooses two edge points, fits a model line to them, and if edge point gradients are consistent with the model, computes the full set of inlier points whose position and gradient are consistent with that model. The candidate line with greatest inlier count is retained and the set of remaining outlier points is derived. The process then repeatedly applies the line fitting operation on this and subsequent outlier sets to find a plurality of line results. The process can be exhaustive RANSAC-based.